Unreported H5N1 Infections Found Among US Dairy Workers

A study reveals a significant number of undetected avian flu cases in dairy farms, though the risk to the general public remains low.

The CDC discovered a 7% infection rate of the H5N1 virus among dairy farm workers in the US, with 8 out of 115 tested individuals recently infected.
Despite the presence of the virus, most infected workers exhibited only mild symptoms, contributing to the underreporting of cases.
H5N1 primarily spreads between cows through milk, and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission so far.
The overall risk to the general population is considered low by health authorities, but the true extent of human infections is unclear due to incomplete data.
Researchers express concern that the virus could adapt more effectively to mammals if it continues to circulate widely among them.