Bird flu infects four in Washington state; CDC deploys team

Bird flu has possibly infected four agricultural workers in Washington state, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

In a press release Sunday, the Washington State Department of Health said the “workers tested presumptively positive for avian influenza after working with infected poultry at a commercial egg farm in Franklin County.” Franklin County is in the eastern half of the Evergreen State, which is known for its agriculture.

According to the health department, those possibly infected went through “mild symptoms and have been provided with antiviral medication,” and that the potential infections “are the first presumed human cases of H5 virus under investigation in Washington state.”

“Testing of additional individuals on the farm is currently pending, and the number of cases under investigation may change,” the health department said in the release.

The health department also said that “[t]he cases took place at a farm that was the site of an avian influenza outbreak in chickens.”

A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an emailed statement sent to The Hill on Tuesday that they are waiting on “specimens for avian flu testing from Washington state, and a team is being deployed to support the state’s assessment of the health of workers involved in a depopulation event at a poultry facility there.”

This year, there have been “27 H5 human cases reported in the US,” according to the CDC. Bird flu commonly spreads in birds as well as other animals. However, it can infect humans if they come in contact with body fluid from an infected animal.

“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the agency said on their website.