United States | News & Politics

A Grays Harbor County resident died Friday after earlier testing positive for a type of bird flu never before detected in humans, state health officials reported.

The death was the second from bird flu recorded in the U.S. since 2022. It was also the first human case in the state this year — and the first in the country in at least eight months.

The University of Washington virology lab revealed this month the virus is H5N5, a variant previously reported in animals but not in humans.

The risk to the public remains low, according to state health officials. No other people have tested positive, and monitoring of those who were in close contact with the patient continues.

Bird flu rarely infects people and makes them sick. When it does, symptoms are typically mild, health officials said. Most cases in people have occurred after they exposure to sick or infected animals. No person-to-person transmission has been documented in the U.S.

The Washington resident, an older adult with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized in early November with a high fever, confusion and respiratory distress, health officials have said. They were treated at a King County hospital. Other details about the patient were not disclosed.

The patient had a mixed backyard flock of domestic poultry that was exposed to wild birds, and was likely exposed to the virus through domestic or wild birds, health officials said.