JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The first human case of bird flu in Missouri was confirmed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday.
The patient was hospitalized on Aug. 22 and tested positive for influenza A, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said. The adult reported no known exposure to animals. They have since recovered and were discharged home. Due to patient privacy, the department did not release any further information.
The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory conducted additional testing to determine the specific type of flu the patient was infected with, DHSS said. The tests identified the subtype as H5, also known as bird flu or avian flu. The specimen was forwarded to the CDC, who confirmed the lab's findings and are undergoing additional testing.
The case made national history, as it is the first-ever human bird flu case that was detected as part of the general flu surveillance system, rather than a targeted bird flu outbreak-specific surveillance that has previously been conducted on animal outbreaks. The latter system has detected the previously identified 15 human bird flu cases in the U.S. since 2022, 14 of which had been in 2024.
"The risk of sustained transmission or infection among the general public remains low," DHSS said in an emailed release. "DHSS continues to closely monitor available data from influenza surveillance systems, and there has been no sign of unusual influenza activity in people, including no increase in emergency room visits for influenza and no increase in laboratory detection of human influenza cases in Missouri."
The Missouri Department of Agriculture, in response to a national uptick in bird flu cases in dairy cows, put all dairy cows exhibited during this year's state fair through additional biosecurity measures.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: All Missouri State Fair dairy cows must be tested for bird flu, state orders
