♪ >>> WE ARE FOLLOWING A LOT OF BREAKING NEWS, WE WANT TO START WITH A STRAIN OF THE BIRD FLU NEVER DETECTED IN HUMANS. NOW BEING BLAMED FOR THE DEATH OF A MAN IN MEXICO. A 59-YEAR-OLD MAN DIED ON APRIL 24th, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAID HE DIED AFTER CONTRACTING H5N2 STRAIN OF THE VIRUS BUT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN BECAUSE HE HAD NO EXPOSURE TO POULTRY OR OTHER ANIMALS AND THEY ARE NOT SURE HOW HE GOT IT A WEEK AFTER DEVELOPING A FEVER, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, DIARRHEA, NAUSEA, THEY SAY HE SUFFERED FROM UNDERLYING HEALTH ISSUES. AN OUTBREAK OF A DIFFERENT AND MORE COMMON STRAIN OF THE BIRD FLU WAS DETECTED IN A NUMBER OF DAIRY TOWNS IN THE U.S. AND THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST THREE CASES IN THE U.S. CONNECTED TO FARMWORKERS. THESE ARE THE SYMPTOMS FOR THE AVIAN FLU STRAIN CURRENTLY CIRCULATING AROUND THE U.S., FEVER, SORE THROAT, EYE REDNES , AND OTHER SYMPTOMS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, INCLUDING IF THIS NEW STRAIN HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE U.S. WE SPEAK WITH THE DOCTOR ABOUT THE RISKS. BUT FIRST, SAM BROCK JOINS US FROM MIAMI. TALK TO US ABOUT THIS CASE OUT OF MEXICO WE ARE COVERING TONIGHT. THE WEIRD THING IS, HE WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY AND THEY ARE NOT SURE HOW HE GOT IT. WAS HE IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE? >> Reporter: THEY SAY THE 59 YEAR-OLD HAD 30 CONTACTS, 17 WERE AT THE HOSPITAL AND ONE REPORTED HAVING A RUNNY NOSE. NOT ONE OF THEM TESTED POSITIVE FOR THIS STRAIN OF THE AVIAN FLU. THERE WERE 12 OTHER CONTRACTS IN HIS HOUSE, SEVEN PEOPLE WERE SYMPTOMATIC, FIVE WERE NOT SYMPTOMATIC, NOT CLEAR THE SYMPTOMS BUT NONE OF THEM TESTED POSITIVE. WITH THE SEVEN SYMPTOMATIC CONTRACTING A STRAIN OF HIS FIBERS BUT MAYBE DID NOT AFFECT THEM THE SAME WAY, OR THEY NEVER GOT IT AT ALL, NOT CLEAR. ALMOST 3 DOZEN CONTEXT AND HE IS THE ONLY ONE TO TEST POSITIVE FOR THIS STRAIN, H5N1. >> HOW IS THIS STRAIN DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS CIRCULATING IN THE U.S.? >> SORRY, THIS VERSION WAS H5N2 IN MEXICO, IN THE U.S., IT RUNS THROUGH CATTLE, THREE PEOPLE IN UNITED STATES HAVE CONTRACTED IT BUT NONE DIED. WHEN IT COMES TO MEXICO, SO FA , THE ONLY CASES HAVE BEEN IN POULTRY. YOU MENTIONED, THIS WAS NOT DETECTED IN A SINGLE HUMAN IN THE WORLD UNTIL NOW, THE ONLY CASE AND HE HAS DIED. THERE IS A BACK STORY, THE 59-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS BEDRIDDEN FOR THREE WEEKS WITH OTHER CONDITIONS UNRELATED TO THE SYMPTOMS HE EXPERIENCED FROM =H5N2, AND HAD UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. WAS IT A FUNCTION OF HIS HEALTH OR THE STRAIN ITSELF? >> HE HAD BEEN BEDRIDDEN, HOW DID HE GET IT? I AM SURE WE WILL LEARN MORE. SAM, THANK YOU FOR HANDLING THE BREAKING NEWS. >>> I AM JOINED BY A DOCTOR, THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EMERGENT AFFECTING -- INFECTIOUS DISEASES. WE DO NOT WANT TO SCARE ANYBODY. I DON'T WANT TO SCARE VIEWERS BECAUSE WE ARE JUST GETTING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC. DOCTOR, WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IF ANYTHING AT ALL? >> I WANT TO START BY SAYING, IN THE CASE OF H5N1 IN THE U.S. OR H5N2, THE RISK TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS LOW, BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF THE CONDITION IN MEXICO HAS BEEN HUMAN TO HUMAN, THEY USUALLY GO POULTRY TO HUMANS, BUT THE FEAR IS THIS PERSON DID NOT HAVE EXPOSURE, WHICH HE DID NOT, IN TERMS OF HOW YOU PROTECT YOURSELF IN THE U.S., BECAUSE IT IS CIRCULATING AMONG CATTLE AND AMONG BIRDS, STAY AWAY FROM SICK ANIMALS. THIS VIRUS CAN APPEAR IN RAW MILK BEFORE IT IS PASTEURIZED, SO ONLY DRINK PASTEURIZED MILK. SOME OF THE BASIC THINGS YOU CAN DO TO AVOID IT. >> IS IT TRANSMITTED AT ALL THROUGH EATING BEEF OR CHICKEN? >> YEP, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THERE IS A RISK OF TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE USDA DID A STUDY AND SYMPTOMATIC HOUSE, HUNDRED SAMPLES THEY LOOKED AT, COOKING KILLED IT. NOTHING HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED SAYING IT WAS A RISK. >> GOOD NEWS. HOW DO FARMWORKERS GET THIS? TRANSMITTED FROM COWS THAT ARE SICK, IS A RESPIRATORY? >> I WANT TO DIFFERENTIATE WHAT IS GOING ON IN MEXICO, WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE U.S., MORE CONCERNING BECAUSE WE SEE THIS H5N1 APPEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DAIRY CATTLE AND IT IS REALLY SPREADING NINE STATES AND 82 FORMS. THE MAJORITY OF THE EXPOSURE IS FARMWORKERS WORKING VERY CLOSELY , IN SOME CASES WITH RAW MILK WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF IRELAND'S. WE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH HOW IT GOES BETWEEN ANIMALS AND HUMANS AND ADDITIONAL TESTING IS NEEDED. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THERE IS SUSTAINED HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION OF H5N1 IN THE U.S. >> CATTLE ARE IN FORMS, PINNED IN, SICK BULL COULD BE SOLD TO THE OTHER FARM AND THE RANCHER DID NOT KNOW IT AND IT SPREADS THAT WAY? >> YES, THE USDA HAS INTRODUCED REQUIREMENTS TO SAY, IF THERE ARE SICK COWS, THEY SHOULD BE TESTED. I DON'T KNOW THAT GOES FAR ENOUGH BECAUSE WE DON'T TEST EVERY ANIMAL ABSOLUTELY, THE CATTLE MOVE AND THAT IMPACTS HOW THEY OPERATE AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES WHERE INFECTIONS MAY JUMP FROM COWS INTO HUMANS. SUMMER IS COMING AND YOU WILL HAVE AGRICULTURAL FAIRS. IF YOU'RE GOING TO THOSE CATTLE FARES WHERE YOU MAY BE INTERACTING WITH BARNYARD ANIMALS AND POULTRY, BE CAREFUL AND STAY AWAY FROM SICK ANIMALS. >> IF YOU ARE WATCHING THIS, DO YOU NEED TO BE CONCERNED OR WHERE YOU ARE GOING THIS SUMMER AND ABOUT ANYONE WHO TREATS LIVESTOCK? >> NO, IN GENERAL THE RISK TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS LOW, 96 MILLION BIRDS WERE DETECTED HAVING H5N1, THE VIRUS IN THE U.S. >> WHAT YOU MEAN BY STAY AWAY FROM BIRDS TO PIGEONS IN YOUR OR PET BIRDS? >> SO MANY SPECIES, BUT STAY AWAY FROM SICK BIRDS. KEEP YOUR KIDS AND DOGS AWAY FROM GETTING AROUND SICK BIRDS. OTHER THAN THAT,
