The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday urged clinicians and laboratories to test for the bird flu within 24 hours in people hospitalized with influenza, as part of its efforts to tackle the ongoing infections in humans.
The latest advisory is intended to prevent delays in identifying human infections with avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses amid high levels of seasonal influenza.
The agency recommends that influenza A-positive patients, particularly those in an intensive care unit, be tested ideally within 24 hours of hospitalization to identify the viral subtype.
Nearly 70 people in the U.S., most of them farmworkers, have contracted bird flu since April, as the virus has circulated among poultry flocks and dairy herds.
Most infections in humans have been mild, but one fatality has been reported.
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