Tamiflu is a prescription antiviral medicine commonly used for seasonal influenza that is being offered as a preventative measure for avian influenza, said Dr. Steven Krager, the interim health officer for Benton and Franklin counties. It also is being offered to workers who have symptoms or have tested positive to help them fight the infection.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention confirmed two human cases of avian influenza in Washington on Thursday following an outbreak on a commercial poultry farm.

The second case of a person contracting bird flu or H5N1 virus despite not being exposed to poultry or dairy cows has been reported, US health officials said. According to reports, this person had shared a home with a patient who was first hospitalized with bird flu in August.