A possible human case of bird flu has been reported in Alameda County, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The report involves a child who is experiencing mild respiratory symptoms and is recovering at home, CDPH officials said in a news release Tuesday.
The child has had no known contact with infected animals but might have been exposed to wild birds.
“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 CDPH Director Tomás Aragón.
Currently, 26 cases of bird flu have been reported in the state since October, all of which involve mild symptoms in people who came into contact with infected dairy cows.
No one has yet been hospitalized in the state due to the illness, according to the CDPH.
In the Alameda County case, the child’s positive test showed a low-level of the virus present in their body, with no flu detected after four days. They were also positive for other respiratory viruses that could be the cause of their symptoms, CDPH officials said.
The test specimens were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
So far, no one who came into contact with the child has tested positive for bird flu, including family members and people at their daycare facility.
Bird flu symptoms include cough, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, fever and other cold- and flu-like unpleasantness.
For more information on the national response to bird flu, people can visit cdc.gov/bird-flu.
For more information about the bird flu situation in California, people can visit cdph.ca.gov.
