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The US state of Nevada has confirmed its first human case of bird flu, spread to a farm worker from infected dairy cows. The news comes days after a second strain of bird flu was detected in milk produced in Nevada for the first time.
The farm worker caught a new strain of the H5N1 virus known as D1.1. Most of the dozens of people who have caught bird flu in the US so far had the B3.13 strain of H5N1. The worker experienced conjunctivitis as their only symptom and is recovering, according to the Central Nevada Health District. Authorities said there is still no evidence that the virus is spreading between humans.
In January, the US confirmed the country’s first death from H5N1 in Louisiana. The person had the D1.1 strain. Bird flu has infected hundreds of dairy herds around the US since April 2024. Batches of raw (unpasteurized) milk have been recalled after they were found to contain the virus. A number of cats died after drinking infected milk on farms across several states.
Read more: Human Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed In England
What is D1.1?
The D1.1 strain has been the dominant strain in wild birds over the winter. It has also been detected in farmed poultry. But its discovery in milk marks the first time it has been found to have infected cows. Before now, the cows infected with H5N1 had caught the B3.13 strain.
D1.1 has a mutation that could help it to replicate inside mammalian cells, potentially making it spread more easily between mammals.
“Some experts do fear that it could mark a new chapter in the outbreak or that bird flu may become endemic in the US,” Andrea Garcia, vice president of science, medicine and public health at the American Medical Association, said in a recent YouTube video. “This is something we are continuing to very closely follow.”
Read more: US Zoos Are Reporting Animal Deaths From Bird Flu
