US Registers First Death from Deadly Bird Flu

A 65-year-old patient who was hospitalized on December 18 has become the first person in the United States to succumb to bird flu, also known as H5N1. The Louisiana Department of Health announced the news on Monday, stating that the patient had undergone extensive public health investigation and found no evidence of person-to-person transmission.

According to authorities, the patient had contracted the virus through exposure to backyard chickens and wild birds. Pre-existing conditions were believed to have contributed to the severity of the illness. This patient remains the only human case reported in Louisiana so far.

Since April, a total of 66 cases of bird flu have been confirmed in the US, with none as severe as the recent death. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that people who work with birds, poultry, or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk of contracting the virus.

To mitigate the spread of the virus, millions of birds and cattle have been culled. A state of emergency was declared in California in mid-December after dairy cows tested positive for the virus There have been 701 confirmed cases in dairy cattle in the state, with over 900 total reported cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had stated in December that the global impact of bird flu infections remained "minor." While a genetic analysis revealed a mutation in the Louisiana patient's case, University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher Michael Osterholm downplays concerns about human-to-human transmission.