According to statements from the Centers for Control and Disease Prevention and Centers for Control and Disease Prevention , the patient, who has underlying conditions, was admitted to hospital on August 22, received antiviral medications against influenza, then recovered and was discharged,
Because the patient’s flu type appeared suspicious on an initial test, it was sent for additional testing in state and federal laboratories, which revealed it was H5, also known as avian flu or bird flu.
The person was the 14th to test positive for bird flu in the US this year, and the first without known contact with animals.
All previous bird flu cases in the United States have been among farmworkers, including the very first, in 2022.
Bird flu is most commonly found in wild birds and poultry, but has more recently been detected in mammals, with a cattle outbreak seen across the country this year. It can occasionally infect humans through close contact or contaminated environments.