a person in Missouri has made headlines as the first in the US to contract bird flu without any direct contact with animals this case reported by the CDC raises serious concerns among experts typically bird flu spreads through infected poultry or livestock but this rare instance suggests the virus might be evolving while outbreaks have affected poultry in 48 states and dairy herds in 14 the CDC reassures us that the risk to the general public remains low researchers are now studying the Missouri patients sample to see if the virus has mutated this investigation is crucial to understanding how this infection occurred and what it means for us moving forward stay informed and take precautions