Third person dies of bird flu since virus started jumping to livestock
Summary
A Yakima County resident in Washington state died after contracting bird flu following exposure at an infected dairy farm, state health officials said. The death is the third reported in the United States since H5 bird flu began spreading from wild birds to dairy cattle in 2024; officials said the risk to the general public remains low.Key Facts
- The person had underlying health conditions and was hospitalized after becoming severely ill.
- Washington has reported three human bird flu cases, all in Yakima County, since infections were detected in the state’s dairy cattle on October 8.
- The other two Washington cases involved people exposed to infected dairy herds; neither was reported to be severely ill or hospitalized.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recorded 40 bird flu detections in Washington dairy cows since October 8, including 33 herds in Yakima County.
- The USDA has reported 134 infected cattle in five states this year: Texas, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Kansas.
- More than 70 human bird flu cases have been detected in the United States since 2024, with no reported human-to-human transmission.
- The two earlier U.S. deaths involved people with underlying health conditions who were exposed to infected wild or backyard birds.
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