A child in San Francisco is the city’s first presumptive person to test positive for bird flu.
The child experienced fever and eye inflammation but has since fully recovered without needing hospitalization. Initial tests at San Francisco’s public health laboratory were positive; confirmatory testing is pending at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials have not identified how the child could have contracted the virus.
State officials are working to contain the virus spreading through dairy farms and poultry facilities across California.
The San Francisco case brings California’s total to 37 human bird flu infections this year. Most cases stem from direct contact with infected cattle.
“The risk to the general public remains low,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of health, in a press release.
He stressed that people rarely catch bird flu, and no person-to-person transmission has occurred during this outbreak in the U.S.
Still, he urged residents to avoid contact with sick or dead birds and stay away from unpasteurized dairy products. While agricultural officials say pasteurized milk remains safe, several raw milk products have been recalled across the state.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency earlier this winter to boost containment efforts. The virus has now infected 703 of the state’s more than 1,100 dairy facilities, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Wastewater surveillance has detected the virus across the Bay Area, including in San Francisco, Napa and San José. Health officials advised residents to call 311 if they find dead birds, and they recommended anyone experiencing symptoms like eye redness, coughing, fatigue, or fever contact a healthcare provider.
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