in the United States the country's Health officials have confirmed a human case of bird flu in a patient that had no immediately known animal exposure the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention said the patient in the state of Missouri was treated in a hospital and has since recovered according to the CDC it is the 14th human case of bird flu in the United States in 2024 and the first without a known occupational exposure to infected animals the agency said that based on the current data the risk to the general public remains low bird flu is a viral disease that primarily affects birds and other animals even infections are rare