Ohio reports first presumptive human case of H5N1 bird flu

Ohio has reported its first presumptive human case of H5N1 bird flu, according to the state’s health department. The individual had been exposed to deceased poultry.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) announced the state’s first presumptive case of bird flu in a human. The case is currently pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The individual is an adult male farm worker from Mercer County who had contact with deceased commercial poultry infected with H5N1. The health department did not disclose his condition or whether he is receiving treatment or has recovered.

“While the risk to Ohioans is low, the best way to prevent bird flu is to avoid unprotected exposures to sick or dead birds or to their environment,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff. “People should avoid direct contact with poultry or wild birds and take proper precautions.”

Ohio’s first case comes just days after Nevada reported its first human case of bird flu. That case involved an adult who had been exposed to infected dairy cattle in central Nevada.

LINK: A list of all human cases of H5N1 bird flu since 2021

The Nevada case involved genotype D1.1, just days after it was confirmed to have affected dairy cattle for the first time in the state and the U.S. This genotype is also linked to the first U.S. death from H5N1 bird flu, in which a Louisiana resident was infected through contact with infected poultry.

H5N1’s new clade, 2.3.4.4b, and its diverse genotypes have raised concerns due to their global spread and the increasing number of cases in mammals, including humans. Since 2022, the new clade has resulted in 90 human cases and two deaths worldwide, with the U.S. reporting the majority (76 cases). Cases have also been reported in the U.K., Spain, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, and China.