A strain of bird flu spreading among dairy cows in Nevada has now infected a worker in the state, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The strain of bird flu, named D1.1, was confirmed in the dairy worker after they had been working with sick cows. Unlike the strain that’s been causing the majority of human infections in the U.S., B3.13, D1.1 has been circulating among wild birds for a long time, the CDC shared.
The strain of avian influenza is also known to have a mutation that could make the virus spread more easily in mammals.
However, it was first found to have spread to dairy cows last month when a herd was tested in Nevada by the National Milk Testing Strategy that monitors bird flu in dairy cows. It was the second time that a strain of the virus had jumped from birds to cows.
Infectious disease expert and epidemiologist from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Michael Osterholm, shared with NBC News that the “spillover” of two strains of the avian flu is “a big deal.”
While the threat to the public is still low, Osterholm says now is the time to ensure people are safe before the situation becomes more dire.
“We’re gonna have another influenza pandemic, and when it happens, we shouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “But will it be H5 or not? I don’t know.”
It is not clear how long D1.1 has been circulating in dairy cows or what other health implications could come from it, according to Andrea Garcia, vice president of science, medicine and public health at the American Medical Association.
“Some experts do fear that it could mark a new chapter in the outbreak or that bird flu may become endemic in the U.S.,” Garcia said in an informational video shared by the AMA. “This is something we are continuing to very closely follow.”
While B3.13 has decimated flocks of chickens across the country, especially egg-laying chickens, the American Veterinary Medical Association has noted that the virus has not been deadly in dairy cows, though it has been using them as a vehicle to spread the illness.
As for the dairy worker who was infected, the Central Nevada Health District confirmed that none of the person’s close contacts have contracted the virus or fallen ill. The CDC noted that their only symptom was pinkeye, which the worker recovered from.
Last month, a person in Louisiana died from the D1.1 strain, and so far, the CDC is estimating that the strain is responsible for 15 of the 68 human cases of avian influenza found last year.