Five poultry workers at a farm in northeastern Colorado have been infected with the H5N1 virus, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health.
The workers were slaughtering birds at a commercial poultry farm that had been affected by the virus. Their symptoms were mild and included common “flu-like” respiratory symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat and runny nose, and conjunctivitis. None of the workers were hospitalized.
The virus has also been identified in dairy cattle and wild birds in the state.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed four of the five cases.
The Colorado Department of Health said the fifth case was presumptive and pending confirmation.
The CDC said its risk assessment for the general public remains low and its recommendations have not changed.
“An evaluation of these cases will help determine whether this situation warrants a change in the assessment of the risk to human health,” the agency said in a statement released Monday.
These are the first cases of H5N1 infection in poultry workers since 2022. The first case of H5N1 in a poultry worker in the United States was reported in Colorado in April 2022.
There have also been four reported cases of H5 in dairy workers. One of those cases was in Colorado.
CDC has sent a bilingual field team to the area to support the state's investigation. The nine-person team includes epidemiologists, veterinarians, physicians and an industrial hygienist.
Public health officials say it is safe to eat properly cooked and handled poultry products.
