Five additional human cases of bird flu in California, more expected

With five new cases, California accounts for 11 of the 25 cases of human infection by the bird flu virus in the United States this year, said the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday. Additional cases were expected among individuals in contact with infected dairy cattle, said the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The risk to the general public remains low, said the CDC. It recommended that people exposed to infected or potentially infected animals wear protective equipment, such as gloves, masks, and goggles.

All of the California cases were people who had contact with animals on different farms, said the state agriculture department. All experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge. No one was hospitalized.

The avian flu virus has been confirmed in 120 dairy herds in California, the No. 1 milk-producing state in the nation. The disease has struck 320 herds in 14 states, according to a USDA database.