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Health

Nevada officials confirm first human case of bird flu in state

Nevada Public Radio | By Anne Davis

Published February 10, 2025 at 1:57 PM PST

Bird flu continues to spread among dairy cattle. And new research shows there may be more cases among farm workers than health officials have confirmed to date.

Nevada officially has its first and only human case of bird flu. The Central Nevada Health District confirmed the illness on Monday.

The state agency released a statement confirming the infected individual was exposed to the new D1.1 strain of the H5N1 virus while working on a dairy farm in Churchill County.

The case comes amid a larger D1.1 outbreak at Nye and Churchill County dairy farms, confirmed by the Nevada Department of Agriculture in late January.

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D1.1 caused the only human bird flu-related fatality last year in Louisiana. Experts generally believe this strain to be more severe than others.

However, the infected Nevada farm worker is currently experiencing only mild eye irritation due to the virus.

The CDC says the general public’s risk of contracting H5N1 is still low.

Health

Anne Davis

Originally an intern with Desert Companion during the summer and fall of 2022, Anne was brought on as the magazine’s assistant editor in January 2023.

See stories by Anne Davis

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