"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitals treating people for the flu should test them for avian influenza within 24 hours."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory Thursday urging health-care workers treating patients hospitalized with the flu to perform an additional test for bird flu within 24 hours of admission.
The advisory reflects increasing concern about the widening outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza that is sickening more people and animals in the United States and Canada. Earlier this month, a Louisiana man became the first person in the United States to die of bird flu. A severe infection nearly killed a Canadian girl who was hospitalized for two months. More domestic cats are getting infected after exposure to raw milk or raw pet food, authorities said.
Any hospitalized patients, especially those in intensive care units, with suspected seasonal influenza or bird flu should also be started on the antiviral treatment Tamiflu as soon as possible without waiting for results of influenza testing, the advisory said."
Lena H. Sun reports for the Washington Post January 16, 2025.
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