Another probable case of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in the Bay Area, though this has not been confirmed by the CDC, and the patient has already fully recovered.The San Francisco Department of Public Health announced Friday that it had found a presumptive case of bird flu."The individual is a child who experienced symptoms of fever and conjunctivitis but did not need to be hospitalized and has since fully recovered," DPH said. "The child initially [was] tested for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV based on symptoms and tested positive for influenza A. As part of SFDPH enhanced surveillance, the specimen was subsequently tested for H5N1," the department says.An initial investigation has not determined where or how the child may have been exposed to the virus — but in addition to avoiding contact with dead or wild birds, public health officials are warning San Francisco residents to avoid raw milk or cheese, because of the crossover H5N1 cases now rampant in dairy cows."I want to assure everyone in our city that the risk to the general public is low, and there is no current evidence that the virus can be transmitted between people," says Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health, in a statement. "We will continue to investigate this presumptive case, and I am urging all San Franciscans to avoid direct contact with sick or dead birds, especially wild birds and poultry. Also, please avoid unpasteurized dairy products."The first two cases of bird flu in humans in the Bay Area have also been in children. One case out of Alameda County in mid-November occurred in a child who was exposed to wild birds. Another case in Marin in early December was possibly linked to raw milk.The CDC reported this week on the first confirmed human death from bird flu, in an individual in Louisiana with underlying health conditions. There have so far been 66 confirmed cases of bird flu across the US in this current epidemic, 67 if this presumptive SF case is confirmed by the CDC. 38 of those cases have been in California.No human-to-human transmission of the virus has yet been documented.Photo: Jordan Witt