Person Hospitalized with Bird Flu in Missouri Had No Known Contact with Animals

The milestone case — the 14th reported in the U.S. this year — contributes to growing concerns about the virus spreading among humans

A person in Missouri has been infected with bird flu despite having no immediate known animal exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the human case of avian influenza — and more specifically the H5 subtype — in a news release on Friday, Sept. 6.

The individual (who had underlying medical conditions, per the CDC) was hospitalized on Aug. 22, state officials told The New York Times. After they were treated with the antiviral medication Tamiflu, the patient recovered and was sent home, the outlet reported.

Related: First Human Dies from New Bird Flu Strain, World Health Organization Confirms

The case, which was identified through Missouri’s seasonal flu surveillance system, marks the first human case of bird flu detected in the state and the 14th reported in the United States this year, according to the CDC and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Coupled with the fact that it is also the first case of bird flu “without a known occupational exposure to sick or infected animals,” the milestone case adds to growing anxiety about the virus spreading undetected among humans.

All of the previous human cases reported by the CDC occurred in individuals who had known contact with poultry or dairy cows, the latter of which are currently experiencing a multistate bird flu outbreak.

Related: World Health Organization Expresses 'Enormous Concern' About Bird Flu Spreading to Humans

The outbreak, which was first reported in March, marks the first time that the specific bird flu virus, HPAI A (H5N1), was found in cows. In April, a human case was confirmed in the first instance of “likely mammal to human spread” of the virus, per the CDC.

“It is important to note that, while rare, there have been novel influenza A cases where an animal source cannot be identified,” the CDC said of the Missouri case. “The main concern in these situations is that no onward transmission is occurring.”

According to the organization, the risk among the general public remains low, though it noted that “as always, circumstances may change quickly as more information is learned.”

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Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University, told The New York Times that the route of transmission will “determine how much more escalated the risk of the disease is to the general public.”

Bhadelia also told the newspaper that she has been advocating for a greater percentage of hospital flu samples to be included in the routine testing and surveillance to “cast a wider net.”

“We are always later than we think we are in outbreaks,” she added.

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