DENVER — Colorado officials identified three cases of possible bird flu among workers at a commercial egg layer.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in Coordination with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and State Emergency Operations Center, said Friday that the presumptive positive cases of avian influenza were detected while responding to an outbreak.
The workers culling poultry at a northeast Colorado farm showed mild symptoms including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized, CDPHE said.
The latest cases come after another case was identified in a northeast Colorado dairy worker on July 3. That was the first human case detected in Colorado since 2022. The latest cases, if confirmed, would mean seven people have contracted bird flu nationwide this year, according to the CDC.
Despite the outbreak, the state health department says it is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products.
"The proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat, and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses," the state health department said in a release.
Anyone who works with poultry or dairy cows who may be sick is advised to seek medical care or call the state health department at 303-692-2700 or 303-370-9395 after normal business hours.
Last week, Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in response to an avian flu outbreak in a commercial poultry facility in Weld County. The declaration activated the State Emergency Operations Center and directed the Colorado Office of Emergency Management to take action to assist with the response, recovery and mitigation efforts.
The state did not clarify if the recent cases were identified at the same Weld County facility mentioned in the disaster declaration.
Last week, federal officials announced the U.S. government will pay vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people.
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