Marking only the second US incident, a gentleman from Texas, 'buddies' with his dairy cattle, bagged the infamy of testing positive for H5N1 avian influenza, aka bird flu - the commonsource of your elevation in heart rate, courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What's the cherry on top? The guy just caught a red-eye, more commonly known as conjunctivitis and is convalescing successfully, confirmed CDC. An antiviral medication has been administered to circumvent severe influenza, and his social life temporarily locked down.

Now before you exile every feathered creature near you, let's be clear – according to CDC, the bird flu risk to human is still pretty low. In fact, the previous case of this nature was observed back in 2022, in Colorado who, interestingly, was also in the poultry business.

Cozying up with the virus isn't a common occurrence, assures Richard Webby, PhD, the influenzer of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds. The two US bird flu champions had a poignant commonality - their occupation necessitated snug interaction with infected animals.

"H5N1 bird flu is having a field day among wild birds in the US and globally, infiltrating commercial poultry farms, cozy backyard poultry areas and even infecting a motley group of animals including foxes, skunks, bears, tigers, and leopards, as claimed by CDC. However, Webby clarifies that the average Joe, frolicking in normal circumstances, has practically zero danger from this virus.

Still, if you see any sick animals, do afford them the luxury of space! The critical point here is to ensure that bird flu remains an exceptional visitor and doesn't turn into an unwanted resident. To fortify this, CDC suggests avoiding close encounters with unhealthy or deceased animals, and stay clear of any raw animal produce. The silver lining amidst this gray cloud is that all our commercial milk is subjected to pasteurization, putting it on your safe-to-consume list.

People say good things come in pairs, but we're hoping this doesn't hold true for human bird flu cases.