Bird Flu May Be Spreading Between People, Cats More Than Previously Thought, Study Suggests

USA Today (2/20, Cuevas) reports, “Bird flu may be spreading between people and cats more than previously thought, a new federal study said.” The research “looked at indoor cats who had severe illness and death in two Michigan households of two dairy workers around May where bird flu was circulating on farms.” The study referred to “one household where an adolescent developed a cough and other symptoms after a cat became sick, but the results were inconclusive since the teen also had additional exposure.” Both “cats that died, one in each household, appeared to have the same signs of respiratory and neurologic illness, according to the study.” Later, the cats “tested positive for bird flu.” The findings were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The New York Times (2/20, Anthes, Mandavilli) reports, “How the cats might have become infected is unclear, but experts said that the farmworkers were likely to have become infected with H5N1 at their workplace and to have brought the virus home to their cats.” The AP (2/20, Aleccia) also reports.