First U.S. human death from bird flu confirmed

07 January 2025 , 09:39

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First U.S. human death from bird flu confirmed

The first death of a human linked to the bird flu has been confirmed in the US.

A Louisiana patient died after being hospitalized with severe respiratory issues, state officials announced on Monday.

The patient, who was not identified, was over the age of 65 and was in contact with sick and dead fowl in a backyard flock, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The person also had underlying health issues.

A genetic analysis suggested that the bird flu virus mutated in the patient and could have resulted in sickness that was more severe.

A colorized transmission electron micrograph of avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (blue), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney epithelial cells (Picture: AFP)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed it is the first bird flu death in America.

CDC officials said the death was a tragedy but noted that ‘there are no concerning virologic changes actively spreading in wild birds, poultry or cows that would raise the risk to human health’.

The CDC in mid-December had announced that a patient hospitalized in Louisiana had the first severe bird flu case that was verified in the US.

‘This case underscores that, in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure,’ stated the agency,’ the CDC stated at the time.

Officials from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs dispose of culled ducks at a farm near Nafferton, East Yorkshire, where a strain of bird flu was confirmed on November 18, 2014 (Picture: Getty Images)

The origin of the infection that the Louisiana patient contracted remains unknown.

There have been 66 confirmed bird flu cases reported in America since March. But unlike the severe case, most were mild and found in farmworkers who interacted with birds or dairy cows ill with the virus.

Experts said the human birth flu death was not extremely surprising. Since last year, more than 460 have died of the virus around the globe, said the World Health Organization.

No other bird flu case has been reported in Louisiana. There is no indication the virus is actively spreading among humans.

Sophia Martinez