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1st human bird flu cases reported in Arizona

By
Updated  December 6, 2024 4:20pm MST
Health
FOX 10 Phoenix

Bird flu: 1st human cases reported in Arizona

Health officials in Arizona announced the first cases of avian influenza (bird flu) within the state, and the cases were reported out of Pinal County.

The Brief

    • Two cases of human avian influenza, also known as "bird flu," have been reported in Arizona.
    • State health officials say the two cases involved workers at a Pinal County commercial facility.

PHOENIX - Officials with the Arizona Department of Health Service have reported the first human case of avian influenza within the state.

In a statement released on Dec. 6, state health officials say the two cases involved individuals who were "exposed to infected poultry while working at a commercial facility in Pinal County," without mentioning where the facility is located.

"These individuals reported mild symptoms, received treatment and recovered," read a portion of the statement.

Non-human cases previously reported in Arizona

While this marks the first time human bird flu cases were reported in Arizona, there have been previous reports of bird flu cases involving non-humans.

On November 15, we reported that an avian influenza case was discovered at a commercial farm in Pinal County. Officials did not mention where the farm was located.

On November 26, we reported that bird flu was detected in a backyard poultry flock within Maricopa County. Officials also did not mention where the case was detected within the county.

What is avian influenza?

According to the Mayo Clinic, avian influenza is caused by influenza type A virus infections in bird species.

Per the website, birds could die from avian influenza in very serious cases.

"Bird flu rarely infects humans, but health officials worry because influenza A viruses that infect birds can change, called mutate, to infect humans and spread from person to person more often," read a portion of the website. "Because a new strain of bird flu would be a new virus to humans, a mutated strain like that could spread quickly around the world."

The Source

  • Information for this article was gathered from a statement issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

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