3 Colorado poultry workers presumed to have bird flu

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Chickens feeding at a small farm in Williamston, Michigan, on February 8, 2023. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)

Three more people in Colorado are presumed to be infected with bird flu.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Friday the three people with presumed cases were workers at a poultry farm in the northeast part of the state.

The workers had been culling poultry at a farm that was experiencing an outbreak, according to state government officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The workers were said to have mild symptoms, including pink eye and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized.

All of them had direct contact with infected animals, state officials said, and the risk to the public remains low. 

The CDC is conducting additional testing. 

Earlier this month, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in Weld County in response to bird flu outbreak at a commercial poultry facility. 

Also earlier this month, the first human bird flu case in Colorado was identified in a dairy worker.

Three other human cases have been identified across the country in recent weeks, also among dairy workers - one in Texas and two in Michigan.

RELATED: 

• Texas confirms first human case of bird flu
• First case of bird flu found in Michigan farmworker, says MDHHS

The USDA is tracking confirmed cases in dairy cows, and, as of July 10, 2024, infections in 53 herds in six states were reported. 

Bird flu in humans

Yes, it is possible for humans to contract bird flu, although human infections are rare. 

Human infections can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. 

"People with close or prolonged unprotected contact (not wearing respiratory and eye protection) with infected birds or places that sick birds or their mucous, saliva, or feces have contaminated, might be at greater risk of bird flu virus infection," according to the CDC. 

Bird flu symptoms

Symptoms of the bird flu overlap with those of other respiratory illnesses, like the seasonal flu or COVID-19, according to the CDC. 

Mild symptoms: 

• Eye infections
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Fever

Severe symptoms:

• Pneumonia
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing

Transmission of bird flu from person-to-person has never been reported, according to Yale Medicine, so only those who have been in contact with infected animals should consider these symptoms to be possible symptoms of bird flu.  

Can you get bird flu from eating chicken?

No, you cannot get bird flu from eating chicken. 

It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products. The proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat, and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses, health officials state. 

Can you get bird flu from drinking milk?

It depends on what kind of milk you’re drinking. 

The virus has been found in high levels in the raw milk of infected cows, but government officials say pasteurized products sold in grocery stores are safe because heat treatment has been confirmed to kill the virus.

This story was reported from Detroit.