[U] H5N1 (Avian) Virus Was Just Seen In The First US Child, In 2024 -- Out In California. Do Be... Vigilant.

The below item, from CIDRAP serves as a reminder that especially in children, we ought to be very vigilant about persistent respiratory symptoms, of any kind. [And, we need to forcefully oppose the confirmation in the Senate -- of loons who do not believe in vaccines. Cough -- Kennedy. He will cause the needless deaths of perhaps thousands, if given free rein -- for his lunacy.]

California regularly tests school kids for illness -- which is how this case came to light. This was a child with no farm animal contacts, so the likelihood is that it was a human to human transmission path. Here's the latest -- and do be extra careful, if visiting farm animals (on holiday outings), especially later in this damp Fall weather.

. . .The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that its tests have confirmed H5N1 avian flu in California's recent suspected case, involving a child who had no known exposure to infected animals.

Also, California announced another confirmed H5 case in a dairy farm worker. The new developments lift the state's total to 29 human cases of H5 avian flu and the national total since the first of the year to 55. . . .

The CDC statement noted that the confirmation marks the nation's first H5 infection in a child, and it reiterated much of what the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said in its initial announcement of the case on November 19.

The child's infection was detected through California's flu surveillance system, and the level of viral material in the specimen was low. Follow-up tests several days later were negative for avian flu but were positive for other common respiratory viruses. . . .

Moreover, somewhat worryingly, it also seems that even seniors are largely foregoing COVID boosters and flu shots this season. We cross our fingers, and hope that this trend doesn't come back to bite us -- nationwide. Onward.

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