NEW YORK — The United States has reported its first death linked to bird flu, involving an individual in Louisiana who was hospitalized with severe respiratory issues.
On Monday, state health authorities revealed the death, and it has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the first fatality in the nation caused by bird flu.
Health officials indicated that the affected person was over 65 years old, had pre-existing health conditions, and had been in close contact with infected and deceased birds from a backyard flock. A genetic analysis also suggested that the bird flu virus had undergone mutations within the patient, which might have contributed to the more intense illness.
Limited details about the individual have been shared publicly.
Since March, there have been 66 reported cases of bird flu in the U.S., with previous infections being relatively mild. The majority of these cases have primarily involved farmworkers who handled sick poultry or dairy cows.
Experts in virology indicated that a bird flu death was foreseeable, especially given that there have been over 950 confirmed infections globally since 2003, leading to more than 460 fatalities, according to the World Health Organization.
“This situation underscores the serious threat posed by the bird flu, which has a history of being a lethal virus,” stated Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “This is just a tragic reminder of that.”
Nuzzo also highlighted a recent case wherein a Canadian teenager suffered severe illness after contracting the virus. Ongoing research aims to better understand the hazards associated with the current variant of the virus and why it affects some individuals more severely than others.
“It’s important to note that the presence of mild cases in the past doesn’t guarantee that future cases will also be mild,” she cautioned.
In a statement, CDC representatives described the Louisiana death as a tragic incident. However, they also reassured that “there are no concerning virologic changes actively circulating among wild birds, poultry, or cattle that would elevate the risk to human health.”
In two recent cases in the U.S.—one involving an adult in Missouri and another with a child in California—health officials have not yet identified how the individuals contracted the virus. In contrast, the route of infection for the patient in Louisiana was not in question; it represented the first instance in the U.S. connected to interactions with backyard birds, per CDC findings.
Authorities in Louisiana noted that they are currently unaware of additional cases in the state. Likewise, federal officials have indicated that there is no evidence suggesting person-to-person transmission of the virus.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been widely spreading among wild birds, poultry, cattle, and various other animals. This rising presence in the environment raises the likelihood of human exposure, which could lead to transmission. Consequently, officials are urging individuals in contact with sick or deceased birds to adopt safety measures, including the use of respiratory and eye protection, along with gloves when handling poultry.
