Two cats belonging to Michigan dairy workers died after being infected with bird flu. But it is still not clear how animals have become ill or whether they spread viruses to people in the house, shows a new study.
Veterinary experts stated that the report published on Thursday by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention lacks expansion, which can confirm whether people can spread the virus in domestic cats – or vice versa.
Dr. of Cornel University College of Veterinary Medicine. Diego Dial said, “I don’t think this is a way to conclude that there was a human-to-transmission based on the data presented.”
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Investigators said that Kat died in two separate houses after developing serious diseases in May, which was confirmed that the US dairy herds were confirmed as the type of H5N1 bird virus in the flocks. . Both were indoor-keval cats that had no risk for infected cattle or birds and raw milk was not consumed.
A cat who died, of a worker on a dairy farm in a county, was known for being a bird flu-infected cattle. The worker reported the symptoms of the disease before the cat became ill. That cat became ill, conducted a positive test for H5N1 and had to be euthanized. Another cat also became ill in that house, but it was cured. A third cat in the house did not get sick and conducted a negative test.
Meanwhile, a teenager in the house became ill but did a negative test for the flu.
The second cat who died lived in a separate house. The pet belonged to a dairy worker who transported raw milk and reported a frequent splash of milk on the face, eyes and clothes. The worker reported eye irritation, a possible symptom of bird flu, before the cat became ill two days ago.
The study authors wrote that the cat was known to roll the worker’s dirty clothes and died within a day of developing signs of infection. Another cat in that house conducted a negative test for the virus.
The study stated that in both examples, dairy workers refused to test for H5N1.
This means that it is impossible to know if they have directly broadcast the virus to their cats, Dr. Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Director Dr.. Keith Paulsen said. It is more likely that cats were infected with workers’ clothes, shoes or hands, they said.
“We know that people are not shedding a large amount of viruses at this point,” he said. “I don’t think this is because this person coughs on his cat.”
The study concluded that the reports of bird flu infections in indoor cats are rare, but “such cats can pose risk to human infection.”
Since the death of cats, in months, there have been several reports after domestic cats are infected and consumption of milk contaminated from bird flu or pet food.
The new report underlines the need for more comprehensive testing for H5N1 in all Arenas, Paulson said.
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