WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The California Department of Public Health confirmed that a third farmworker has tested positive for bird flu, raising concerns about the spread of the infection in the region.
Last week, two farm workers tested positive for the avian flu, marking the state's first human infections.
Similar to the previous two cases, the recent one is believed to result from contact with infected cattle.
Confirmation testing is currently being conducted at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If verified, the latest case would bring the total number of human bird flu cases in the U.S. to seventeen.
'Many people have been far too dismissive of the threat posed by H5N1 on farms, wrongly assured by a handful of cases that have been mild. But epidemiologists know that the more people who become infected, the more likely we will see severe outcomes,' said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, who directs the Pandemic Center at Brown University, to CNN.
Notably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed 26 more bird flu outbreaks in cows at California dairy farms, bringing the national total to 282 outbreaks across 14 states.
Earlier, the CDC's Principal Deputy Director, Dr. Nirav Shah stated in a press meeting, 'Additional cases may continue to be found as additional herds continue to test positive.'
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