Key Takeaways
- The first human death from bird flu in the US has been reported in Louisiana.
- The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.
- The risk to the general public remains low, but people who work with birds, poultry, or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk.
Los Angeles: A patient in the U.S. state of Louisiana has become the first person dead of bird flu, or H5N1, in the United States, authorities said on Monday.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed a news release stating the patient was hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a rare and severe form of bird flu.
The patient was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions, said the department, adding that the patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.
The department noted that the patient remains the only human case of H5N1 in the southeastern U.S. state and the department’s extensive public health investigation has identified no additional H5N1 cases nor evidence of person-to-person transmission.
While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk, state officials warned, adding that the best way to protect people from H5N1 is to avoid sources of exposure.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Monday that the agency “is saddened” by the death.
“While tragic, a death from H5N1 bird flu in the United States is not unexpected because of the known potential for infection with these viruses to cause severe illness and death,” the agency added.
As of Monday, there have been 66 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the United States since 2024 and 67 since 2022. Outside the United States, more than 950 cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported to the World Health Organization; about half of those have resulted in death, according to CDC.
CDC pointed out that no person-to-person transmission spread has been identified. The agency said it has carefully studied the available information about the person who died in Louisiana and continues to assess that the risk to the general public remains low.
