Missouri health officials on Friday reported they’ve confirmed the first human patient to contract bird flu in the state, who apparently has had no contact with animals.
The Missouri Department of Health noted the H5 virus was detected as a result of the state’s “influenza surveillance program,” and a specimen confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory was sent a specimen from a patient who was hospitalized on Aug. 22. The adult patient has underlying medical conditions and tested positive for influenza A,” the Missouri Health Dept. wrote in a press release Friday, though they didn’t disclose where in the state the diagnoses occurred.
BREAKING: Missouri reports human case of H5 bird flu with no known link to animals pic.twitter.com/BvwBXCKlKa
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“The patient has reported no exposure to animals,” the health agency noted, adding that the unidentified patient, protected under privacy laws, visited the hospital and had already been discharged.
According to the CDC, the case with no known animal contact warrants further investigation, though it is not entirely unprecedented.
“This is the 14th human case of H5 reported in the United States during 2024 and the first case of H5 without a known occupational exposure to sick or infected animals,” the CDC noted in a press release Friday.
“The results of this investigation will be particularly important in light of the current lack of an obvious animal exposure,” the CDC wrote. “It is important to note that, while rare, there have been novel influenza A cases where an animal source cannot be identified. The main concern in these situations is that no onward transmission is occurring.”
“Findings from the ongoing investigation will inform whether guidance changes are needed,” the federal agency ominously stated, adding the case is the 14th nationally.
Time will tell whether investigators are able to pinpoint exactly how the patient contracted the virus, and whether the flu scare will impact the 2024 election.