BATON ROUGE, La. — The first person has died from bird flu in the United States, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed Monday.

The patient, who was exposed to non-commercial backyard flocks and wild birds, was over 65 years old and had underlying medical conditions, officials said.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the patient was the first case of severe bird flu in the United States

At the time, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health told ABC News that the patient was suffering from a severe respiratory illness related to an avian flu infection and was in critical condition. The patient remains the only human case of avian flu confirmed in Louisiana.

The United States has seen an increase in cases of avian influenza, or avian influenza in humans, since April, when the first human case was reported.

In a statement Monday, the CDC said the first bird flu death in the U.S. was “not unexpected” because “infection with these viruses is known to cause serious illness and death.”

The agency said its risk assessment has not changed, that the risk to the general public remains low and no person-to-person transmission has been detected.

As of January 3, 66 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the United States, according to CDC data.

RELATED: FDA begins testing samples of aged cow’s milk cheese nationwide for bird flu

Signs and symptoms of infection in humans often include sore throat, cough, fever, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle or body aches, fatigue and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

Infections can range from no symptoms or mild illnesses such as flu-like symptoms to more severe illnesses such as pneumonia that could require hospitalization, the CDC said.

Almost all confirmed cases have had direct contact with infected cattle or infected livestock. Aside from the case confirmed in the Louisiana patient, the cases were mild and all patients had recovered after taking antiviral medications, according to the CDC and state health officials.

A previous case in Missouri was hospitalized, but health officials indicated health problems other than an avian flu infection when the patient was admitted to the hospital.

The Louisiana Department of Health and the CDC say there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission and the risk to the general public is low.

However, those who work with or have recreational exposure to birds, poultry or cows are at higher risk.

The CDC recommends staying away from sick or dead wild birds, poultry, and other animals and using personal protective equipment when contact is unavoidable.

The agency also recommends not touching surfaces or materials contaminated with saliva, mucus or animal feces from wild or domestic birds and animals in which avian influenza has been detected or suspected, and not consuming raw milk or raw milk products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a new federal regulation last month requiring raw milk samples to be collected nationwide and sent to the department to test for avian influenza.

A few weeks later, the Food and Drug Administration announced that federal health officials across the U.S. had begun collecting samples of aged raw cow’s milk cheese to test for bird flu