CALIFORNIA, USA — The U.S. is seeing its largest outbreak of Avian Influenza, more commonly known as Bird Flu, in more than five years.
At least two dozen states are reporting cases on their soil. That does not include California.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the good news with this outbreak is that human transmission is low. It hasn't reported any cases of serious illness. ABC10 Health Expert Dr. Payal Kohli said previous versions had a more easily mutated virus that could spread from one host to another. Typically humans that come into close contact with livestock or poultry are the most like likely to catch it.
"For the average person that doesn't handle livestock, this is not a big threat in my mind right now. If it does end up being reported in humans, that will change entirely, and then I think we have to be very careful because we know from previous experience that previous versions of the bird flu can actually cause more severe illness and can be more virulent in humans," Kohli said.
The CDC said in order to protect themselves, people should observe all wild birds from a distance. Birds can be infected even if they don't look sick. the CDC also recommends staying away from surfaces that could be contaminated with the feces of a wild or domestic bird.
For more information on Bird Flu, visit the CDC website.
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