The first human to have ever been infected with the H5N5 strain of bird flu has died, Washington state health officials confirmed late Friday.
The person was an older adult with underlying health conditions, the Washington State Department of Health said in a news release.
The person had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds. No other details were released out of respect of the family’s privacy, health officials said.
There are various types of bird flu strains. The 70 human cases reported in the United States over the past year and a half involved the strain known as H5N1
The H5N5 strain has been previously reported in animals, but never before in humans, according to the health department.
The risk to the public remains low, health officials said. No other people involved have tested positive for bird flu, and there is no evidence of the virus spreading between people, according to health officials.
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, has been present in birds for decades, but in recent years it has started to infect more and more mammals.
In early March 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a bird flu strain that had sickened millions of birds across the U.S. was identified in several mammals.
Since then, there have been at least 70 confirmed cases among humans in the U.S., not counting the Washington state patient, according to the CDC.
Most human cases have occurred after coming into contact with infected cattle, infected poultry farms or other culling operations.
The majority of cases have been mild — with symptoms such as red eyes and fever — but a few have resulted in more severe symptoms. In January, the first bird flu death was confirmed among an older patient with underlying conditions
The CDC and other public health officials say there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the risk to the general public is low.
