The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced today that a patient previously hospitalized with a severe H5N1 avian influenza infection has died.

The patient is older than 65 years and had previous health conditions. Officials had said the person was exposed to the virus through contact with backyard poultry and wild birds.

So far, LDH investigators have not found any other related cases. The news comes as U.S. officials note an increase in bird flu in poultry as well as domestic and wild cats.

Different genotype is a cause for concern

“The department extends its deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved one,” the LDH said. “Due to patient confidentiality and respect for the family, this will be the final update on the patient.”

The United States has reported 66 human cases of H5N1 since the beginning of 2024. Most were mild infections caused by a genotype circulating in dairy herds.

However, another genotype carried by south-migrating wild birds poses another threat and has resulted in two serious infections, one affecting the Louisiana patient and the other a British Columbia teenager who was diagnosed after a long course of treatment recovering in intensive care.

Additional poultry outbreaks in 5 states

In a related announcement, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today confirmed additional outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in five states, including commercial farms in three of them.

In Delaware, an outbreak has been confirmed at a 125,000-bird broiler farm in Kent County, marking the first detections in poultry in the state since September 2022.

Other states reporting outbreaks at commercial facilities include hard-hit California, which reported new discoveries at a 44,700-bird wild bird farm in Butte County and at a broiler operation and layer farm in Stanislaus County. In Michigan, the virus was found on two other turkey farms in Ottawa County.

The USDA also confirmed the virus in backyard flocks in Sharp County in Arkansas and at four sites in Canyon County in Idaho.

APHIS also confirmed two additional dairy outbreaks today, both in California, bringing the statewide total to 917 and the state total to 701.

Domestic cats and wild cats make up most of the new mammal discoveries

In addition, APHIS today added approximately 30 additional H5N1 detections in mammals, primarily in feline species.

The virus has been confirmed in four domestic cats in California, three in Los Angeles County and one in Fresno County. The virus also affected a domestic cat in Washington County, Oregon, and Morrison County, Minnesota. In recent weeks, a few cat deaths have been reported in California in animals exposed to raw pet food and raw milk.

Some of the newly reported finds were wild cats, including a bobcat from Larimer County, Colorado, and a mountain lion near Carson City, Nevada. Several of the animals that tested positive appeared to be exotic wild cats that were kept captive in a sanctuary in Mason County, Washington. There were also five other exotic cats that tested positive near Denver, Colorado, as well as some in California and Idaho.

Other mammal finds include a fox near Denver and a raccoon in King County, Washington.