CDC officials say medical professionals are seeing more patients whose illness cannot be traced back to an infected animal or bird.

Due to ongoing sporadic H5N1 avian flu infections and brisk levels of seasonal flu activity, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today urged healthcare providers to subtype all influenza A specimens in hospitalized patients, especially those in the intensive care unit (ICU), as soon as possible.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging health care workers to accelerate bird flu testing for patients hospitalized with flu symptoms.

The CDC recommends that hospitalized flu patients be tested for bird flu within 24 hours to timely identify avian influenza A (H5N1) cases. While the public risk remains low, faster detection aids in tracing infections and providing swift medical response.

The CDC has confirmed a new human H5N1 bird flu case in California, raising the US total to 67. Most cases involve farm workers exposed to sick animals. The CDC urges rapid testing, antiviral treatments,

The advisory comes amid concerns that cases of H5N1 avian influenza will sicken more people in the United States.