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A child in Alameda County, California, has tested positive for bird flu despite having no known contact with infected animals, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The child, who was treated for mild upper respiratory symptoms, is currently recovering at home. The CDPH is investigating a possible exposure to wild birds.
The positive test showed a low-level detection of the virus, indicating the child was not likely infectious to others. A repeat bird flu test on the child four days later was negative. The test specimens are being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing.
Despite the case, state officials have stressed that the public health risk remains low.
"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 Dr. Tomás Aragón.
So far this year, 53 people have been confirmed to have bird flu in the United States, according to the CDC. All but one had been exposed to infected poultry or dairy cows. In the California case, no person-to-person spread of the virus was detected, and the child's family members all tested negative.
Bird flu has been spreading in poultry since 2022, and cases in dairy cows began to crop up in March. The virus was discovered in a pig for the first time last month. Bird flu infections in people -- nearly all among farmworkers -- have now been confirmed in seven states, with Oregon reporting its first human case last week.