Four cases in Washington farmworkers are the latest in a drumbeat of human infections across the U.S.
as the virus continues to spread among farm animals.The risk that the virus will mutate to spread easily between people is low, but experts say ongoing transmission in cows is worrisome.
Flu experts said the risk of a broader outbreak among humans will continue to simmer if the virus remains uncontrolled in animals.“The longer this virus hangs out in the environment, the more animals it spills over into, the more it changes in ways we don’t understand or predict, the more concerned we are going to be that this becomes the next global pandemic,” said Dr. Amber Itle, the Washington state veterinarian.
A CDC spokesperson said Tuesday morning that a federal team was being deployed to Washington and that risk to the public remained low. “It’s hot, it’s dusty. It’s a lot of birds in close proximity, and we’re getting a lot of viral exposure,” she said.The four people who tested positive after that work reported mild respiratory symptoms and conjunctivitis, or pink eye — symptoms now understood to be common when people are infected. None of the workers were hospitalized.
At the same time, the U.S. is preparing for flu season, when circulation of common influenza viruses increases in fall and winter. If two influenza viruses share the same host, they can share genetic information and mutate more quickly.
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