What to know about the first bird flu–related death in the U.S.
H5N1 has infected 66 people in the United States since early 2024, mostly causing mild illness. A Louisiana man was the first to get severely sick.
A Louisiana man who died with H5N1 shriveled it from a yard flock and wild birds
A Louisiana man who died with H5N1 hen flu shriveled it from exposure to a yard flock and wild birds, based on voice health officers.
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Whereas the United States has recorded its first loss of life of a particular person infected with H5N1 hen flu, public health experts are emphasizing that the likelihood to most other folks stays low.
The patient, a Louisiana man over the age of 65 who had underlying medical stipulations, shriveled the virus from a yard flock and wild birds, the Louisiana Division of Smartly being accepted in reporting his loss of life January 6. Extra investigation showed no particular person-to-particular person transmission of the virus.
The patient, the nation’s first severe case, was hospitalized with respiratory symptoms in December, and voice health officers reported he had extremely pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, on December 13.
Since early 2024, there were 66 confirmed hen flu conditions in other folks within the United States. The within the intervening time circulating tension has been frequent among cattle, poultry and wild birds. Most human conditions were in farm workers and resulted in soft symptoms, equivalent to crimson recognize, fever and a cough.
Genetic analyses of viral specimens from the Louisiana patient showed that he had caught what’s known as the D1.1 virus subtype, which has been circulating in poultry and wild birds within the United States. A 13-year-historical woman in British Columbia, Canada, hospitalized with significant sickness from hen flu in November, additionally had this model of the virus. She now no longer wants intensive give a boost to but stays hospitalized. One other virus subtype, known as B3.13, is spreading basically in dairy cows.
In some unspecified time in the future of the Louisiana patient, the virus obtained mutations that may possibly doubtlessly elevate particular person-to-particular person transmission of the virus, based on the U.S. Centers for Illness Control and Prevention. But the genetic adjustments aren’t too pertaining to because they arose later within the midst of an infection, when he was already diagnosed and taking precautions to prevent spread, says virologist Angela Rasmussen of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada.
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