MERCER COUNTY — The state’s first human case of bird flu in 2025 has been reported in the Miami Valley.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6, it’s infected thousands of chickens, ducks, and turkeys in the Miami Valley and now a person.
“It’s scary because it can be transmitted any other way than human contact, and that’s frightening,” Julian Luckette said.
Luckette said she’s taking every stop to keep from getting sick.
Michelle Kimmel with the Mercer County Health District said they’ve been working with the state department to prepare for a human case in their county.
She said they’ve watched as human cases have climbed across the country mostly involving farms and wild birds, and the case in Ohio, now marks the state’s first.
“We were actively involved in helping monitor the people that were exposed to the affected poultry,” Kimmel said.
Poultry workers dealing with the infected animals should be wearing protective gear, Kimmel said, that starts with a full body suit and hood.
She said there are three tiers of exposure to the virus:
- Tier one means you were on the farm where it was detected
- Tier two means you worked directly with infected birds but wore protective gear
- Tier three is the same as tier two but without protective gear
Kimmel said the case in her county was a tier two exposure.
“The symptoms too, for people to look for, are close to regular flu symptoms,” she said.
Kimmel added there is a low risk to the general public.
More guidance from the ODH on bird flu can be found here.
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