Health officials have reported that two dairy workers in California have been infected with bird flu, marking the 15th and 16th human cases in the United States this year. The infections occurred on separate farms in California’s Central Valley, where more than 50 herds have been affected by avian influenza since August.
The workers, who developed conjunctivitis and mild flu-like symptoms, were in direct contact with infected cattle. Health authorities confirmed there is no known link between the two cases, suggesting the virus was transmitted from animals, not humans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the positive test results on Thursday, noting that while new human cases are not unexpected when exposed to infected animals, the overall risk to the public remains low.
This year has seen a surge in bird flu infections, not just in poultry but also in dairy herds across the U.S. The H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, which started in March, has affected over 250 herds in 14 states. California’s two new cases follow reports of human infections in Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, primarily in workers who had contact with infected livestock.
The CDC continues to emphasize that bird flu transmission to humans remains rare, particularly outside of high-risk groups such as farm and poultry workers. However, this year’s increase in cases highlights the potential dangers of the virus spreading in new ways, especially in sectors like dairy farming.
Though bird flu has been a concern among wild and domestic birds for years, the infection’s spread to dairy herds is relatively new, raising fresh challenges for managing the virus in the U.S. animal agriculture industry. For now, public health officials are monitoring the situation while maintaining that the risk to the general population is minimal.
