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According to a report released by the CDC less than 24 hours ago, a man located in Colorado has contracted the H5 avian (bird) flu virus. This would make him the first reported person to contract the virus.

In their report, they explain that the man worked directly with poultry and was working on a culling (depopulation) project which is likely what exposed him. After a few days of his interaction with the poultry, he reported being tired, but that was the only symptom he experienced.

Since being exposed, he has made a full recovery, but remains under isolation and is being treated with the influenza medication known as oseltamivir.

The report does say that his testing positive for the virus could simply be because of the contamination caused by his interaction, which would have caused the contamination of his nasal membrane. But, because they are unable to determine that for sure at this time, they are taking precautionary measures and quarantining him.

Fortunately, the CDC maintains that there is no need to change the current risk assessment for the general public, so everyone should be safe and have a relatively low risk of contracting the H5 virus.

With outbreaks of the bird flu taking place in 2021 and 2022 among commercial and backyard birds, the CDC has been monitoring the illness among those who have been exposed to virus-infected birds.

During this monitoring, they say they have looked at over 2,500 people exposed and this is the first one in which a person has contracted the disease.

Others who were involved in the culling project have also been tested, but none of them had a positive result.

And while no others in the U.S. have tested positive, there was a person in Britain who did in December of 2021. Aside from these two, there are no others, and all risks involved with contracting the disease would be involved with those who have been direct exposure to the birds.