First US Bird Flu Death in a Year—Map Shows Where Dairy Herds Are Infected
Summary
A Washington state resident with underlying health conditions died after contracting H5N1 bird flu following exposure to infected cattle at a Yakima County dairy. It is the first reported U.S. bird flu death in a year; officials say the risk to the general public remains low and report no known person-to-person spread in the country.Key Facts
- The resident was hospitalized and died on Sunday, according to Yakima County officials.
- Washington’s state tracker listed 39 infected dairy herds in Yakima County and one in Benton County through October 30.
- Yakima County’s dashboard listed 33 infected Yakima County herds through October 29; six more were confirmed by the state on October 30.
- Public dashboards differ on human cases: Yakima County lists three confirmed cases, while the state health department’s table lists one confirmed dairy-associated case in 2026.
- The CDC’s October 15 summary listed 72 U.S. human cases and two deaths since 2024, before the Washington death was reported.
- The CDC says the general public faces low risk and reports no known person-to-person transmission in the United States.
- Washington officials said tests from two Yakima County farms found a cow-adapted strain and no evidence of adaptation to mammals or spread between people in that analysis.
- Officials say pasteurization inactivates H5N1 in milk; raw milk from infected animals can carry the virus.
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