Alarming development: Missouri patient is first American to contract H5N1 bird flu without contact with animals

In Missouri, for the first time in history, an American has been diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu without having been in contact with animals, a potentially worrying development.

They are the 14th person to be infected in the U.S. since the virus strain hit livestock earlier this year, but the first person who did not come into direct contact with an infected bird or cow.

It’s still unclear how the Missourian became infected, but experts have been warning against drinking raw milk for months over fears the virus could be transmitted to humans this way.

A person in Missouri is the first American to be diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu without having come into contact with animals (stock)

Since 2022, 15 people in the US have tested positive for bird flu. Scientists have traced all of those infections back to an infected animal: a dairy cow or a bird.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 14 of those infections, including the Missouri man’s, occurred this year.