Bird Flu's New Twist: A Dairy Worker's Mild Eye Infection

In the heart of Nevada, a dairy worker recently caught a new type of bird flu. This isn't the same strain that has been causing trouble in U. S. animal herds since the end of last year. The worker's main issue was just some annoying eye redness and irritation. Lucky for him, he didn't need to go to the hospital and has since gotten better. The new strain, called D1. 1, had been seen in people who'd been around poultry before, but this is the first time it's been linked to a cow. The worker picked it up at a farm in Churchill County. Health officials were quick to point out that there's no sign the virus spread to anyone else. Bird flu, or Type A H5N1 influenza, has different strains. One version, B3. 13, showed up in cattle last year and has affected nearly 1, 000 herds across 16 states, mostly in California. The new strain, D1. 1, was found in Nevada cattle in January. It turned up in milk samples taken as part of a monitoring program that started in December. This isn't the first time the virus has jumped from wild birds to cattle. It happened at least twice. Experts are worried about how easily the virus spreads and how hard it is to control in animals and the people who work with them. Over the past year, at least 68 people in the U. S. have caught bird flu. Most of them worked closely with cows or poultry. The D1. 1 strain was linked to the first U. S. death from bird flu and a serious illness in Canada. A person in Louisiana died in January after getting sick from contact with wild and backyard birds. In British Columbia, a teen girl was in the hospital for months with a virus traced to poultry. Scientists say the risk to the public is low, but people who work closely with infected animals should be careful. They should wear protective gear and take other safety steps. This new strain of bird flu has raised questions about how the virus spreads and how to control it. It's important for people to be aware of the risks and take precautions to stay safe.