A patient in Washington state has preliminarily tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza. CIDRAP has the news.
If the case is confirmed, it will represent the first human bird flu case in the U.S. since February. The case-patient is an “older adult…with underlying health conditions. The person was hospitalized after developing a high fever, confusion, and respiratory distress in early November and continues to receive treatment.”
According to the CDC, “70 human H5N1 cases, including one death, were confirmed in the U.S. from 2024 through July of this year, primarily in workers on poultry and dairy farms. The latter were sickened by an outbreak strain spreading in dairy cattle.” Person-to-person transmission has never been documented in the U.S. to this point.
Commercial poultry operations across the U.S. are also continuing to be hit with H5N1 outbreaks. 539,810 birds across 41 commercial poultry farms in Indiana have been affected by the virus since October 9.
H5N1 detections are higher “in the fall and spring, as wild birds spread the virus during their migration. Over the last 30 days, 76 confirmed flocks (38 commercial and 38 backyard) have been hit by H5N1 outbreaks, and 1.66 million birds have been affected.”
