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Human case of H5N1 confirmed in Missouri

The first human case of H5N1 or avian influenza has been confirmed in Missouri through an influenza surveillance system via the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case in an adult hospitalized at the end of August. The CDC says the risk of sustained transmission or infection among the public is low.

The adult patient said they didn’t have exposure to animals, though H5N1 can be found in wild birds and poultry and more recently, in dairy cows.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service hasn’t reported any confirmed cases of H5N1 in Missouri dairy cattle and the last reported case of H5N1 in poultry for the state was in February. There was a reported case of H5N1 in wild birds in Missouri at the end of August.

The CDC says it’s the fifteenth human case of H5N1 reported in the U.S. since 2022.