A worker at a dairy farm in Churchill County has been confirmed with H5N1 avian flu, marking the first human case in Nevada. The infected individual has conjunctivitis and is recovering.
Close contacts are being monitored for symptoms, and officials have provided personal protective equipment and antivirals to those who may have been exposed. No human-to-human spread has been reported so far.
People working with birds or animals, or having recreational exposure, are at higher risk of infection, according to the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added Nevada’s case to its list of confirmed human cases since early 2024, which now stands at 68.
Recent detections in Churchill County involved the D1.1 genotype, linked to severe illnesses in humans. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has found this genotype in Nevada dairy cows, with mutations that may aid mammalian adaptation.
The mutation D701N was detected in the polymerase basic protein 2 gene of affected dairy cows, but not in wild birds or previous cases. The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed three more H5N1 detections in livestock, including two in Nevada and one in California, bringing the national total to 962.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/nevada-reports-h5n1-dairy-worker-usda-fleshes-out-d11-sequencing-affected-herds