The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Monday that a person who had direct contact with dairy cows believed to have been infected with the virus is being treated for avian flu.
This is the second case of the virus in the country, but the first linked to contact with cattle.
The virus has affected dairy cows in several states in recent weeks, with some outbreaks among cows in the Texas Panhandle dating back to March.
The Texas patient’s only symptom was eye irritation, according to DSHS. The patient was tested at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend and is being treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir.
The ministry said the risk of the public contracting the virus remains low.
State officials said the cow infections do not pose a problem for the commercial milk supply and explained that dairy farmers are required to discard or repurpose milk from sick cows. Officials said the virus is killed by pasteurization.
Avian influenza (also known as bird flu or H5N1 influenza) is an influenza virus that usually infects wild birds and can spread to captive birds and other animals. Health officials say it can also infect humans, but person-to-person transmission is extremely rare.
According to DSHS, symptoms in people diagnosed with avian flu can range from mild, such as eye infections and upper respiratory tract symptoms, to severe, including pneumonia and death.
