WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Health officials said that a possible case of bird flu was detected in a child in Marin County.
The County's public health officer, Dr. Lisa Santora, informed that the child had tested positive for influenza type A at a hospital.
'Additional local and state testing was unable to confirm if a seasonal flu or avian flu subtypes,' Santora added.
The officials have submitted the blood sample of the patient to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. They expect to receive the results by the end of the week.
If confirmed, this would mark the second bird flu case in a child in the U.S.
'It's deeply concerning that another child may have H5N1. We need to know much more about this case, including some hypotheses for how she or he may have contracted the virus,' Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University in Providence, said to AOL.
'Given the proximity of this case to the last case of H5N1 diagnosed in a child without known exposure to animals, it may be prudent to conduct a broader investigation, including a serologic study, to see if there is evidence of other infections in the area.'
The first case in a child was identified in Alameda County in November.
'Consistent with previously identified human cases in the United States, the child reportedly experienced mild symptoms and received flu antivirals,' the CDC said.
'There were low levels of viral material detected in the initial specimen collected, and follow-up testing of the child several days later was negative for H5 bird flu but was positive for other common respiratory viruses.'
The health agency has urged public to distance themselves from infected animals and birds.
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