The bird flu outbreak in Colorado is spreading.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is now reporting a total of five human cases of avian influenza in workers responding to the avian flu outbreak at a commercial egg layer operation. CDC has confirmed four of the cases, and one additional case is presumptive positive and pending confirmation at CDC.

Three of these five cases confirmed by CDC are from the samples that CDPHE’s State Public Health Laboratory sent CDC on Friday, July 12 for confirmatory testing. The fourth case was an additional presumptive detected by the State Lab late Friday evening and has been confirmed by CDC. Samples for a fifth worker were presumptive positive at the State Lab on Saturday, July 13 and will be sent to CDC for confirmation. No additional test results are pending at this time.

The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado and exhibited mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized. State epidemiologists suspect the poultry workers’ cases are a result of working directly with infected poultry. The investigation is ongoing with support from CDC.

It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products. The proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat, and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses.