Oregon health officials confirmed a human case of bird flu on Friday. (Les Zaitz/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed that a person contracted bird flu in a case linked to an outbreak that sickened thousands of birds in a Clackamas County commercial poultry operation.
Public health officials declined to provide details about the person, name the operation or other details. They also said there is no evidence of bird flu spreading from person to person and the risk to the public is low.
“Clackamas County Public Health Division has been closely monitoring people exposed to the animal outbreak, which is how this case was identified,” said Dr. Sarah Present, Clackamas County public health officer. “The individual experienced only mild illness and has fully recovered.”
The person received treatment with the antiviral medication oseltamivir, and household contacts were prescribed oseltamivir prophylaxis.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer and state epidemiologist at Oregon Health Authority, said people with the highest risk of infection are those close or prolonged exposures to infected birds or other animals or environments the animals have contaminated.
OHA epidemiologists are working closely with local public health officials, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and CDC to monitor individuals exposed to animals infected with bird flu, also called avian influenza, and will respond swiftly if new symptoms emerge in people, Sidelinger said.
Symptoms can include mild respiratory problems like a sore throat, runny nose and cough. Some people can also get conjunctivitis, often called “pink eye.”
When an outbreak in animals occurs, the state agriculture department provides personal protective equipment and training to farmworkers and public health workers provide information about symptoms to monitor for.
“This has proven an extremely effective approach to avian influenza outbreaks,” Sidelinger said. “While we cannot prevent every case, we know that we are preventing many.”
To reduce the risk of bird flu, people should avoid contact with sick or dead birds or animals, their droppings or litter, and should not drink or eat unpasteurized or raw dairy products such as milk or cheese.
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