Bird flu confirmed in older Wyoming woman who likely had contact with
infected flock at her home
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[February 17, 2025]
An older woman in southeast Wyoming is hospitalized with bird
flu, state health department officials said Friday.
It's the state's first human case of Type A H5N1 influenza, which is
spreading through animals and some people. Nearly 70 people in the U.S.
have been reported infected with bird flu in the last year, according to
data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though
researchers and studies suggest that's likely an undercount.
The woman had a backyard flock of chickens that got sick and died, a CDC
spokesperson said Saturday. The state health department said the woman,
who lives in Platte County, Wyoming, likely had direct contact with the
flock. It said she also has other health conditions and is hospitalized
in another state.
Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state health officer and state epidemiologist,
said Wyoming residents shouldn't have “a high level of concern” about
the human case, the test result for which was confirmed by a CDC on
Friday.
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A worker grabs a chicken to slaughter inside a poultry store in New
York, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)
 Most confirmed human cases of bird
flu across the U.S. came with mild symptoms.
“Unfortunately, this patient’s experience has been
much more serious,” Harrist said in the news release.
A new study published by the CDC showed bird flu has silently spread
from animals to some veterinarians.
Bird flu has been spreading in wild birds in the U.S. since 2022.
The virus was detected for the first time in U.S. dairy cows last
year. It has infected more than 960 cattle herds in 16 states.
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