- The patient’s eyes in the photo were red and inflamed due to the infection
- The infection started in the right eye, scientists said, before emerging in the left eye as well
This is the first image of a Texas dairy farmer who contracted bird flu from a cow.
While the man had ‘very mild’ symptoms, the photo shows how the virus burst the blood vessels in his eyes, leading to bleeding on the surface of his eyeballs.
In an official case report published Friday, CDC experts said they had found “strong evidence” through genetic data that he contracted the virus from an infected cow in March.
The confirmation marks the first time the H5N1 virus has jumped from mammals to humans – a milestone that is of “huge concern” to the World Health Organization.
The above image of the symptoms suffered by the Texas dairy farmer who contracted bird flu was published online in a report by CDC officials
The image and further details about the case were revealed in a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
They said the patient also suffered from a subconjunctival hemorrhage, or bleeding just below the conjunctiva, or a clear surface covering the white part of the eye.
Scientists also noticed a watery fluid draining from the right eye.
The patient is only the second person to be diagnosed with bird flu in the US, and the first worldwide believed to have contracted the virus from a mammal.
Nearly 900 people in 23 countries have been infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu over the past two decades, but all were linked to wild or farmed birds.
They worked with livestock that were believed at the time to be infected with bird flu, which scientists believe is the likely route of transmission.
It comes amid warnings from vets in some areas that they are hearing reports of other farmers falling ill but not being tested for bird flu.
So far, the virus has spread to 39 dairy herds in nine states, suggesting hundreds, if not thousands, of dairy workers have been exposed.
The Texas patient came to the doctor with the infection in late March, with scientists saying his vital signs – such as breathing – were normal.
They also recorded no signs of fever, respiratory symptoms or vision changes during the infection.
The day after antiviral treatment, the patient reported no symptoms except “discomfort in both eyes.”
The report added: ‘Over the following days, the worker reported that the conjunctivitis had resolved without respiratory symptoms and that household contact remained good.’
CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen described the individual’s infection as “very mild” in early April.
She said NPR: ‘The person had very mild complaints. They are recovering well. But again, we want to make sure we test people who may have had contact.”
Amid reports from veterinarians, it emerges that a number of farmers working with infected livestock appear ill but are not reporting for tests.
It comes after America’s top bird flu expert said bird flu could be one step closer to infecting humans.
The map above shows states where bird flu infections in cattle have been reported
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In an interview with STAT newsDr. Vivien Dugan — who also heads the CDC’s influenza division — emphasized that the risk to the general public is still “low.”
But she admitted that the repeated infections in cattle suggested the virus could become endemic to the species, raising the risk of H5N1 spillover to humans – who have close contact with the animals.
She also warned that officials were having trouble tracking infections because many farmers were not coming forward to get tested.
Only 25 people have been tested for the disease so far in connection with the outbreak in cows, and 100 people are being monitored.
By comparison, among poultry workers who have been dealing with H5N1 for more than two years, the CDC has monitored more than 8,000 people for symptoms.
A total of 36 dairy farms in nine states have also tested positive for the disease.