Three new human cases in Washington

In a concerning development, Oregon health officials have reported three new bird flu infections in people originating from Washington state. All three affected people had contact with poultry that were infected with the virus. These cases are contributing to the further spread of the virus, which has already infected 39 people in the United States this year. What is striking is that almost all of those affected are employees on farms who have worked directly with infected animals. The Oregon Health Authority announced in its latest report that the total number of infections in Washington has increased to nine. Once they return, the infected people in Washington will be monitored by local health authorities. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the risk of infection to the general public is considered low. In addition to human infections, bird flu continues to be a serious problem for agriculture. Since 2022, it has killed more than 100 million poultry birds in the United States – and now it has even appeared for the first time in a pig on a farm in Oregon. These developments underscore the ongoing and growing pressure on agriculture in the wake of what is believed to be the country’s most serious bird flu epidemic.