OLYMPIA, Wash. — UPDATE Nov. 24: The Grays Harbor County resident who was hospitalized and being treated for H5N5 avian influenza died on Nov. 21, the Washington State Department of Health reported.
The resident had been in the hospital since early November and was officially confirmed to be infected with bird flu on Nov. 14. Out of respect for the family, the Washington DOH did not release the deceased’s name or age.
This is the first recorded infection with this strain of bird flu in a person globally, but public health officials still consider the public’s risk to be low.
ORIGINAL STORY Nov. 17: A Grays Harbor, Wash. resident officially tested positive for bird flu on Nov. 14. The individual was hospitalized with influenza symptoms earlier this month but has now been confirmed to have influenza A H5, the Washington State Department of Health reported.
This is the first detection of this strain of bird flu in humans, but the Washington DOH and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention still consider the risk to the public to be low.
The affected individual is an older adult with underlying health conditions and is still in the hospital. Apparently, the person has a mixed backyard flock of domestic poultry at home that had exposure to wild birds, the DOH added.
Although domestic or wild birds are the likely cause of virus exposure, there is still an ongoing public health investigation. This is the first confirmed human case in Washington this year, but the second case in the country this year. The last confirmed case was in February.
Since this outbreak started in January 2022, there have been 71 human cases in the U.S. and one death, the CDC reports. However, there is no known person-to-person spread at this time. Of the human cases, CDC notes that 41 have been in association with dairy herds, 24 with poultry operations, 3 from other animal exposure, and 3 from an unknown exposure source.
Although the public risk is low, the CDC is encouraging people who work with or routinely interact with birds, cattle, domestic and wild animals to take the right precautions, including wearing personal protective equipment. Also, people with backyard poultry should avoid contact with sick or dead birds and report illness to their respective state departments.
The Washington DOH also recommended that people who may have exposure to sick birds get their seasonal flu vaccine. Although it won’t prevent bird flu infection, it reduces the risk of becoming sick with both human and avian influenza viruses at the same time.
