Four farm workers in Washington appear to test positive for bird flu

Four agricultural workers in southeast Washington have preliminarily tested positive for bird flu after working around an infected poultry flock at a commercial egg farm.

The cases, if confirmed, would be the first time people in Washington have contracted the virus since officials began tracking a notable rise of it in birds and other animals starting in the U.S. around 2022. Since then, upward of two dozen human cases have been detected across five other states — all but one tied to contact with infected animals.

Health officials emphasized that the four positive cases in Washington are “presumptive,” pending confirmation and analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are still going through the ongoing investigation,” Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s secretary of health, said during an online press conference on Sunday.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/10/20/four-farm-workers-in-washington-appear-to-test-positive-for-bird-flu/