Farm worker who caught bird flu 'bleeding in eyeballs' amid 'enormous concerns'

Image: New England Journal of Medicine)

The first image of a Texas dairy farmer who caught bird flu from a cow - with his eyeballs seen bleeding.

Thankfully, the man had "very mild" symptoms after contracting HSN1 virus, but the stark image shows how the virus caused bleeding on the surface of his eyeballs. This is because the blood vessels in his eyes popped.

Experts at the CDC say that they think he caught the virus from an infected cow in March. In an official case report, published on Friday, the CDC said that they found "strong evidence" through genetic data that pointed them to this conclusion.

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This revelation shows the first sign of HSN1 virus spreading from mammals to humans. The World Health Organisation said that this is a "milestone" that is of "enormous concern." The images of the patient, plus further details about his case, were published in a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the medical experts, the patient had a subconjunctival haemorrhage, or bleeding just beneath the conjunctiva, or clear surface covering the white part of the eye. He also had a watery liquid discharged from his right eye. The dairy farmer is now the second person to be diagnosed with bird flu in the USA, and perhaps the first to have caught it from a mammal - in this case, a cow.

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So far, nearly 900 people in 23 countries have been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu over the last 20 years. However, they were all linked to wild or kept birds.

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The dairy farmer's case comes as experts warn that they are hearing of other farmers falling ill, but not getting tested for HSN1 virus. The Texas patient came to doctors with the infection in late March, with scientists saying his vital signs — such as breathing — were normal. He also had no signs of fever, changes in breathing or vision during the infection.

After being treated with anti-virals, the patient reported no symptoms except for some "discomfort in both eyes." The report added: "Over the subsequent days, the worker reported resolution of conjunctivitis without respiratory symptoms and household contacts remained well."

CDC Director Dr Mandy Cohen said that the patient's condition was "very mild." She told NPR : "The person had very mild symptoms. They're recovering well. But we want to make sure, again, that we are testing folks who may have been in contact."