California health officials report possible bird flu case in Bay Area child

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Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said they have identified a possible bird flu case in a child in Alameda County.

CDPH announced Tuesday that the child has mild respiratory symptoms and is recovering at home. The child had a positive bird flu test which showed a “low-level detection of the virus, indicating the child was not likely infectious to others.”

A repeat bird flu test was performed four days later, and the child tested negative, officials said. Additional testing showed the child was positive for respiratory viruses that could be the cause of their cold and flu symptoms.

Officials said no person-to-person spread of the virus has been detected or suspected and that close family members have tested negative for the bird flu. Local health officials have reached out to potentially exposed caregivers and families, as the child attended a daycare with mild symptoms before testing showed a possible bird flu infection.

“It’s natural for people to be concerned, and we want to reinforce for parents, caregivers and families that based on the information and data we have, we don’t think the child was infectious and no human-to-human spread of bird flu has been documented in any country for more than 15 years,” said Dr. Tom s Arag n, CDPH Director and the state’s Public Health Officer.

Officials said the child had no known contact with an infected animal. Experts are investigating a possible exposure to wild birds. Test specimens are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing.

The announcement comes as California has reported 26 confirmed human cases of bird flusince October. All of these cases followed direct contact with infected dairy cows.

Officials said to date, all have reported mild symptoms, primarily eye infections, and none have been hospitalized.

CDPH notes that human infections with bird flu are rare and no person-to-person spread has been detected in California or the U.S.

“In the rare cases where bird flu has spread from one person to another, it has never spread beyond a few close contacts,” officials said.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing, and fever.

Officials urge people to avoid direct contact with sick or dead wild birds, poultry and other animals and observe them from a distance. CDPH urges anyone who works with infected dairy cows, raw milk or infected poultry to use protective gear.

Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.

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