California has reported the country’s first case of H5N1 bird flu in a child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. 

What You Need To Know

  • California reported the country’s first case of H5N1 bird flu in a child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday

  • The child initially experienced mild symptoms and is recovering after receiving antiviral medication

  • All members of the child’s household also reported having symptoms but tested negative for the bird flu, indicating the virus did not spread from person to person

  • Fifty-five people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu since April, when H5N1 was detected in dairy cows

The child initially experienced mild symptoms and is recovering after receiving antiviral medication, officials said. Investigators are looking into the source of the exposure, which is not currently known. All members of the child’s household also reported having symptoms but tested negative for the bird flu, indicating the virus did not spread from person to person.

There has not been any person-to-person spread of H5N1 in the United States, the CDC said. 

H5N1 has been detected in dairy cows in 14 states, including California, Colorado, Michigan, Texas and Iowa. Since April, when H5 bird flu was first detected in dairy cows, 55 people have become infected, including 29 in California.

The CDC said the risk of the general public becoming infected with bird flu is low, but it cautioned that people who are exposed to birds, dairy cattle and other animals that are infected or could potentially be infected with the virus are at higher risk.