The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed two human cases of H5 bird flu in California on Thursday, marking the first H5 human cases in the Golden State.
The cases occurred in people with occupational exposure to infected dairy cows. An investigation led by California is ongoing, according to CDC.
At this time, there is no known link or contact between the first and second confirmed cases in California, suggesting these are separate instances of animal-to-human spread of the virus, according to CDC.
CDC continues to collaborate closely with public health officials in California and other states to control the spread of H5N1 from infected animals to humans.
H5N1 bird flu was detected for the first time in cows this year in the United States. The virus is widespread in wild birds and has caused ongoing outbreaks among poultry in the country since 2022. It has caused rare, sporadic infections in people who work with infected animals, such as dairy cow workers and poultry workers.
So far, 16 human cases of H5 have been reported in the United States in 2024. Six of the reported human cases were linked to exposure to sick or infected dairy cows. Nine cases had exposure to infected poultry, according to CDC.
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