By Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen
(Reuters) – Epidemiologists have not yet identified exactly how a person in Missouri contracted bird flu last week, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.
The human case was the 14th diagnosed in the U.S. this year. The other 13 cases were among farm workers and linked to bird flu outbreaks on poultry or dairy farms.
The infected individual was admitted to the hospital with symptoms including chest pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, said CDC principal deputy director Nirav Shah on a Thursday call with reporters.
It was unclear whether the patient’s underlying conditions caused the symptoms or the flu.
The investigation into the origin of the infection is ongoing and the CDC has been unable to determine if the case was related to the current outbreak of bird flu in dairy cattle, Shah said.
“Right now, evidence points to this being a one-off case,” said Shah.
Bird flu has infected more than 200 dairy herds in 14 states since March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Richard Chang)
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