Clackamas County Reports Oregon’s First Human Case of Bird Flu

An outbreak of bird flu at a Clackamas County poultry farm has spread to a human. It was a mild case, and officials say the outbreak presents little risk to the public.

“There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission and the risk to the public is low,” the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement earlier today announcing the infection.

Fortunately, unlike the coronavirus, bird flu does not spread easily between humans. Oregon’s case is one of only 52 recorded across the country, most on the West Coast. Canada recently recorded its first human case.

Still, health officials take the threat of bird flu seriously. The virus spreads rapidly among birds and some strains can be deadly when contracted by humans. The United States culls tens of millions of birds a year to slow the virus’s spread. The Canadian infection sent a teenager to the hospital in critical condition.

Oregon’s outbreak also made national headlines late last month when a pig on a small Crook County farm became the country’s first recorded swine infection.