Health officials have announced the first death linked to the bird flu has occurred in Louisiana.
On Jan. 6, the Louisiana Department of Health reported that a local man who was hospitalized with the bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI) died.
The patient was 65 years old and had underlying medical conditions. The health department said the man contracted the virus after exposure to “a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.”
Officials maintain that they have not seen other cases of bird flu or any evidence of human-to-human transmission.
“The Department expresses its deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved one,” the LDH said in a press release. “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.”
“The best way to protect yourself and your family from H5N1 is to avoid sources of exposure,” the agency continued. “That means avoiding direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with bird flu viruses.”
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Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the country’s first “severe” case of bird flu in humans was in Louisiana. However, no additional details on the patient were shared at the time.
“A sporadic case of severe H5N1 bird flu illness in a person is not unexpected; avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection has previously been associated with severe human illness in other countries during 2024 and prior years, including illness resulting in death,” the agency said in a Dec. 18 press release. “This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.”
The CDC noted that the “severe” case in Louisiana served as an example that in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure.
The World Health Organization previously called the current outbreak a “significant public health concern.” In April 2024, the agency confirmed the first person to die from this strain of bird flu in Mexico.
Additionally, a teenager in British Columbia, Canada, was in critical condition after contracting the first case of bird flu in the country, health officials announced in November.
However, the World Health Organization does not currently list the bird flu outbreak as a global health emergency.
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