Delaware reports probable human case of H5 bird flu

A probable case of H5 bird flu was found during routine flu surveillance in Delaware, according to state and federal officials. The source of the infection – which would be the first in Delaware – is unknown.

The CDC said the case in Delaware meets the definition of a “probable case,” which means a test came back positive for H5 bird flu at a local lab. However, confirmatory testing at the CDC was unable to confirm this.

“Delaware’s Division of Public Health (DPH) identified a possible case of novel influenza A (H5) during routine flu surveillance at the Division of Public Health Laboratory,” Tim Mastro, a spokesman for Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS), told BNO News.

“The DPH lab immediately contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing and guidance,” Mastro said. “After multiple tests on the sample, DPH was notified that the CDC Laboratory could not confirm novel influenza A in this case.”

Asked for more details, Mastro said the patient had no known exposure to infected animals, and no links to dairy or poultry facilities. Details about the patient or their condition were not released due to privacy restrictions.

A newer strain of H5N1 bird flu – clade 2.3.4.4b – has raised concern due to its global spread and the rising number of cases in mammals, including hundreds of outbreaks among dairy cows in the U.S. This year has also seen a limited but growing number of human cases after contact with birds or cows.

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

83 human cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported so far this year, including 68 in the U.S., 10 in Cambodia, 2 in Vietnam, and one each in Australia, Canada, and China. Only cases in the U.S. and the one in Canada were linked to the newer variant.

Last week, Louisiana reported its first presumptive human case of bird flu.