Washington Resident Dies from Rare Bird Flu Infection

A resident of Washington has passed away due to complications arising from a bird flu strain that hasn’t previously been reported in humans, the state Department of Health announced on Friday.

This individual was an older adult with pre-existing health conditions and had been hospitalized while receiving treatment for an H5N5 avian influenza infection.

This marks the first instance of bird flu in a human in the U.S. in nine months and is only the second reported human fatality linked to the virus in the country. Despite this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the general public remains at low risk from this virus.

Health officials are keeping an eye on those who had close contact with the patient, but, so far, no other individuals have tested positive for bird flu, and no signs of human-to-human transmission have been detected.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, the individual had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds. “DOH sampling identified avian influenza virus in the environment of the flock, making exposure to the domestic poultry, their environment, or wild birds the most likely source of exposure for this patient,” they noted in a statement.

Bird flu has been affecting wild birds globally for decades, but an outbreak in the U.S. that began in January 2022 has seen more cases among mammals compared to previous outbreaks.

As part of this outbreak, the CDC has recorded 70 other human cases of bird flu in the U.S. Another elderly person with health issues also died from bird flu in January.

While some cases have been serious, most individuals infected have experienced mild symptoms, such as red eyes and fever. Those most affected have often worked closely with animals. This includes 41 cases in people associated with cattle and 24 among poultry workers. There have been two additional cases linked to different animal exposures, and in three instances, the source of exposure remains unknown.

The CDC advises that anyone working closely with animals don protective gear and exercise caution around animal feces. They also recommend being careful when cleaning bird feeders or similar areas where contact with bird droppings may occur, and to avoid touching any sick or dead wildlife.

The Washington health department further recommends flu vaccinations for anyone who might come into contact with domestic or wild birds. Although the standard flu vaccine doesn’t protect against bird flu directly, it might lessen the risk of being infected with both strains at once, which could potentially lead to mutations that facilitate human-to-human transmission.