As Ohio leads the country in bird flu cases, there are steps residents can take to help protect themselves, keep their pets healthy and prevent the disease from spreading further. The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI),

Health officials said the case involves an adult male farm worker who had contact with deceased commercial poultry.

The bird flu outbreak has continued to hurt poultry farms across Ohio. Since Christmas Eve, nearly 12 million birds have died from the avian flu across the Buckeye State and even one farmer in Mercer County contracted the virus.

The first case of bird flu in a human in Ohio has been reported, according to officials. A farm worker from Mercer County, Ohio, located on the state's western border along Indiana, came into contact with deceased poultry that was infected with the virus, the Ohio Department of Health announced on Wednesday.

Ohio's health department confirmed Saturday that a farmer in the state was discharged from the hospital after being sickened by bird flu, marking the fourth American to have been hospitalized with the H5N1 virus.

A Mercer County farm worker came into contact with dead poultry that was infected with the disease, the state's health department reports.