A person who came into contact with cattle at a dairy farm is Merced County’s first confirmed human case of H5N1 bird flu infection this year, public health officials said Monday.

The case was detected based on symptoms from direct exposure and confirmed by laboratory test results, according to a Merced County news release.

Officials said the level of risk to the public is low. Those people who were exposed to the infected cattle have been notified and are actively being monitored.

As of Oct. 18, the California Department of Health reported the number of humans with bird flu was 13. All of those individuals came into contact with infected dairy cattle.

Dairies in the Central Valley have been overwhelmed by the virus. In some cases, the situation is so severe that dairies have been inundated by the large volume of cattle carcasses.

The disease is also extremely contagious and highly fatal to birds. The virus renders all meat and eggs from the flock unsafe for human consumption. Because of the virus, millions of birds have been euthanized at poultry facilities in Merced County and California.

Humans can be infected with the virus by coming into direct contact with infected birds, cattle or other animals, even if they are dead.

Related Story: State Probes Bird Flu Infections in 2 Central Valley Dairy Workers

It is also unsafe to come into contact with contaminated bedding, feed, water troughs, and other contaminated surfaces.

The risk of human infection of bird flu is low, and human-to-human transmission is rare, according to the release.

Symptoms are consistent with acute respiratory tract infections including, but not limited to cough, sore throat, fever, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, muscle or body aches, conjunctivitis. shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Individuals who are exposed and develop symptoms should seek treatment as soon as possible through their doctor or the Merced County Department of Public Health.

For more information on bird flu visit the California Department of Public Health website.

The Merced FOCUS is a Merced-based newsroom covering issues that matter to the San Joaquin Valley.