The H5N1 bird-flu virus has once again infected a human. But this time, the unlucky patient had a cough and a sore throat, which is a new milestone for the virus’s spread in the US.
The H5N1 virus has become a pandemic among animals, raging through worldwide bird populations and now through US cattle herds.
This latest human case, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Thursday, is the third known human case in the US, following one in Texas and another in Michigan.
All three people are dairy-farm workers who were exposed to infected cows, according to the CDC.
The first two cases, however, involved only eye symptoms, including conjunctivitis or pink eye. That means the infection was probably limited to their eyes. Now, it has hit someone’s lungs.
The risk to the general public is still low, the CDC says, but these new symptoms suggest the virus may have entered a new phase of its flirtation with human infection.