Four more Missouri healthcare workers are experiencing mild respiratory symptoms after coming in contact with a bird flu patient, health officials said.
A total of six healthcare workers have now developed symptoms after having contact with the patient, who is the first confirmed person to contract the disease with no known animal exposure.
The patient has recovered, but the case is raising questions about potential human-to-human transmission of bird flu, which primarily affects animals.
The only worker who was tested for the virus had negative results, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
That worker, who was given a PCR test for the virus, had what was considered high-risk contact with the patient and later developed mild symptoms.
Another worker who had high-risk contact and three others who had low-risk contact were not tested during the time they experienced symptoms, according to the CDC.
Along with the healthcare workers, one member of the patient’s household developed symptoms, but also was not tested, according to the CDC.
