Recently, there has been a new case of bird flu that has apparently infected humans now and it is rapidly spreading.
How Did This Animal Sickness Began Affecting Humans?
The U.S. has stated that already, four people have been recorded to having the sickness. However, the first case of a human being infected by this was a farmer from Colorado. The worker worked at a dairy farm where the cows tested positive for having H5N1. The other three people to get this flu were also from dairy farms however two of them were located in Michigan and the other one was located in Texas.
The first worker to have been diagnosed with this flu has already recovered after getting some eye symptoms and receiving treatment. Officials are actively working to produce more vaccines as they expect more and more people to get infected as well. The CDC has taken a sample from the virus to make sure it has not had any dangerous mutations.
How Can People Keep Themselves From Catching This Virus?
It is important to know the only way to get this flu is to be constantly surrounded by cows that have been confirmed to have the virus. This means the only people that are highly likely to be exposed are farmers. In order to keep themselves from having a high risk of exposure, these are a few things people can do to be more protected.
- Wear coveralls
- Use a NIOSH approved respirator
- Wear googles
- Use head covers
- Wear thick boots
- Use gloves at all times
It is important to try and keep the population of exposed people as low as possible in order to keep it maintained. Following these precautions can help with that.
Written by Erika Cano
Sources:
Kelo Land: Bird flu spreading in farm animals; how to protect yourself
The Guardian: US reports fourth case of bird flu in humans
UPI: Colorado dairy farm worker infected with bird flu
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