The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said Tuesday it is monitoring a possible case of bird flu in a child.
The child reportedly had mild upper respiratory systems and is recovering at home in Alameda County. Officials said the child did not have any known contact with an infected animal, which is how most of the rare human cases have populated.
The department says no person-to-person spread of the virus has been detected in the state or in the U.S. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the cause of the positive test in the child.
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Additional testing on the child four days later came back negative, and showed the child was also positive for respiratory viruses that could be the cause of their cold and flu symptoms, the department said.
“It's natural for people to be concerned, and we want to reinforce for parents, caregivers and families that based on the information and data we have, we don't think the child was infectious – and no human-to-human spread of bird flu has been documented in any country for more than 15 years," said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón in a statement.
In humans, bird flu symptoms include eye redness, cough, sore throat, trouble breathing, and fever.
