USA Reports First Bird Flu Death In The Country

An unidentified person has died in Louisiana after contracting H5N1

7th January 2025

3 Minutes Read

US officials have confirmed that a person in Louisiana has become the first human to die with H5N1 bird flu in the country.

The person, who hasn’t been identified, was over 65, had underlying health problems, and had been in close contact with sick birds in a non-commercial backyard flock. They died after being hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms, the Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday afternoon.

It’s thought that the virus mutated inside the patient’s body, leading to severe illness. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and this is the only confirmed human bird flu case in Louisiana.

“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,” officials said in a statement. “The best way to protect yourself and your family from H5N1 is to avoid sources of exposure. That means avoiding direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with bird flu viruses.”

The growing threat of bird flu

Cows hooked up to milk machines — Adobe Stock Bird flu is now infecting farmed cows, as well as farmed birds

Bird flu most commonly affects farmed and wild birds, but it has also spread to humans and other mammals.

While this is the first human bird flu death in the US, there have been 66 confirmed cases across the country, with infections being particularly common among dairy farm workers. Over the last year, bird flu has been spreading to farmed cows, leading health authorities to test milk, cheese, ice cream, and other cow’s milk products for the disease.

A number of US zoos – in Arizona, Washington State, and San Francisco – have reported animal deaths and infections. Animals affected include a cheetah, a mountain lion, and an Indian goose.

Human infections have so far arisen among those who have had close contact with infected animals. But there are concerns that the virus could mutate allowing for human-to-human transmission. If this happens, experts believe another pandemic is likely.

Robert Redfield, who headed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Covid pandemic, warned last June that “it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic.”