Farm worker who had contact with sick cows tests positive for H5N1, making it the second case detected in Michigan

A third person has now tested positive for H5N1 in the US, the second case to be detected in Michigan, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday.

A farm worker who had contact with sick cows tested positive for the virus. This new case does not seem to indicate human-to-human transmission of the highly pathogenic avian flu, as it was detected on a different farm from the previous Michigan case, officials said.

Only 39 people in the US have been tested for H5N1 over the course of the 2024 outbreak, according to the CDC. More than 350 people are being monitored for symptoms, which includes 220 people in Michigan, officials said.

H5N1 was also recently detected in the muscle of a dairy cow intended for beef consumption. No additional viral particles have been detected in other beef samples, and the infected meat did not enter the food supply, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials said.