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Adds CDC and WHO information, quote from Becerra

Louisiana health officials reported the first human death related to bird flu in the United States on Monday. They determined that the patient had underlying health conditions and that the general risks to the public remained “low.”

The patient, aged over 65, had been hospitalized in the southern state since at least mid-December, when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it was the first serious case of human infection by the H5N1 virus was in the country.

“While the current health risk to the general public remains low, people who work with or are recreationally exposed to birds, poultry or cows are at higher risk,” the Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement announcing the death was given.

It said the patient was “infected with H5N1 following exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds” but did not detect any additional H5N1 infections nor did it detect any evidence of human-to-human transmission in the state.

The news comes just days after the federal government committed an additional $306 million to support H5N1 surveillance programs and research, amid criticism of President Joe Biden’s administration over its response to the simmering problem.

The amount of bird flu circulating in animals and people has worried scientists, who fear it could mutate into a more transmissible form, potentially causing a deadly pandemic.

“While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for every possible scenario,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday in a statement announcing the funding.

The CDC said in December that the genetic sequencing of the Louisiana patient’s H5N1 virus was different from the version detected in many dairy herds across the country.

And a small portion of the patient’s virus had genetic changes that suggested it may have mutated in the body to adapt to the human respiratory system.

However, such mutations are not the only thing that could make the virus more contagious or more transmissible between people, according to researchers interviewed by AFP.

H5N1 was first discovered in 1996, but since 2020 the number of outbreaks in bird flocks has exploded while more mammal species are affected.

Since the beginning of 2024, the CDC has recorded 66 human cases of bird flu in the United States.

“Although tragic, a death from H5N1 avian influenza in the United States is not unexpected as it is known that infection with these viruses can cause serious illness and death,” the agency said.

The World Health Organization has now recorded over 950 cases in 24 countries since 2003, including large numbers in China and Vietnam.

“If you have been exposed to sick or dead birds or other animals or work on a farm where avian influenza has been detected, monitor for respiratory symptoms or conjunctivitis,” the Louisiana Department of Health warned Monday.

Should symptoms occur, health care professionals should be made aware of the possibility of avian influenza infection, adding: “Stay at home and keep away from others while you have symptoms.”

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