The Centers for Disease Control is sending a team to Washington state after reports surfaced of four workers who were thought to potentially have bird flu.
They were culling poultry that were suffering from bird flu infection and are presumed to have caught the virus. If the infections are confirmed, Reuters says that would make Washington the sixth state to identify human cases this year. A spokesman says the CDC is sending the team to support the state’s assessment of the farm workers. The risk to the public from the outbreak in cattle remains low, but those with exposure to infected animals are at heightened risk.
Washington’s health department says the workers’ use of protective gear was inconsistent as they were working at an infected egg farm hit by a strain from wild birds. Nationwide, 27 people had tested positive for the virus this year before the cases in Washington.