Health officials for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said they have identified a possible case of bird flu in a child.
Officials said it is unclear where the child got the avian flu. The child had no known contact with an infected animal. However, officials are now investigating whether the child could have been exposed to avian flu through infected wild birds.
No details about the child were released, including their age, name, or gender.
The CDPH noted that the risk to the public remains low, according to a press release.
Testing Positive for Bird Flu
It was not immediately clear when the child was tested for avian flu. It was also unclear when symptoms associated with the flu appeared.
An initial positive test indicated the child had low levels of the virus. At the time, the child was suffering from mild upper respiratory symptoms and received medical treatment. The test result means the child was likely not infectious to others. That said, officials tested other family members who had also been showing mild respiratory symptoms. All were negative for bird flu.
However, a second test conducted four days later revealed the child was negative for bird flu but positive for other respiratory viruses. Officials for the CDPH noted that these respiratory viruses---which were unspecified in the press release---could have caused the cold and flu symptoms.
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State officials said they are now coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate why the child tested positive in the initial screening. Test samples have also been sent to the organization for confirmation.
Additionally, they are now contacting caregivers and families who were at a daycare the child attended to conduct health checks and testing.
Other Human Cases of Bird Flu
There have been 52 confirmed human cases of avian flu in the United States so far this year, nearly half of which were in dairy farm workers, per data from the CDC.
There has also recently been a Canadian teenager who was hospitalized in critical condition after being infected with bird flu earlier this month. It was not immediately clear how the teen was exposed to the virus.
Bird flu symptoms can mimic those associated with cold. Symptoms include eye redness, pink eye, cough, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches, fever, and difficulty breathing.
