A Michigan dairy worker has become the second person in the U.S. to be infected with bird flu during the current outbreak.
The person tested positive for the H5N1 virus in his eye, indicating he contracted the virus by splashing contaminated milk or rubbing his eye with his hand.
The CDC did not reveal any details about the patient’s condition — only that they exhibited “symptoms” consistent with an eye infection.
The agency is conducting tests to assess whether the virus has mutated in a way that would make it more contagious or deadly to humans.
The map above shows the states that have reported bird flu infections in dairy herds
At this time, officials maintain that the risk to the public is still “low” and that there are no signs that people can easily spread the virus to others.
Still, many health experts are concerned that the virus appears to jump between multiple strains, giving it the opportunity to mutate.
The more mutations that occur, the greater the risk of it spreading among people. Historically, H5N1 strains have killed about half of the people they infect.
It comes after a Texas farm worker became ‘patient zero’ of the current outbreak last month. He also had an eye infection.
More to come