Bird flu infects person after contact with Texas dairy cattle

A person in Texas became the second person to every contract bird flu in the U.S., state officials said Monday.

The patient's only symptom was eye inflammation, and a test last week showed they were positive for avian influenza A(H5N1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the test over the weekend, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

The patient is currently receiving antiviral drug treatment. The risk to the general public remains low, officials said. 

The patient is the first to contract the flu through cattle exposure, per the CDC. 

There is no concern that the infection could hit the commercial milk supply, as dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows and any avian flu viruses are killed through pasteurization.

Bird flu has been detected in dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas and Michigan, the Food and Drug Administration said last week.

The virus also made headlines in recent years after it spread around U.S. bird flocks, threatening global poultry supplies.

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