(Los Angeles, November 21) The Washington State Department of Health said Friday that a resident of the state infected with the H5N5 avian influenza virus died that day (November 21). This is the first reported case of human infection with this strain of avian influenza globally.
The elderly patient, who had underlying health conditions, had been hospitalized since early November. Tests conducted by the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the University of Washington School of Medicine confirmed that the patient was infected with the H5N5 avian influenza virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed this result.
Investigations revealed that the patient kept various types of poultry in his backyard. The Washington State Department of Health detected the avian influenza virus in the poultry environment in his backyard and believes the most likely route of infection was contact with poultry, their environment, or wild birds.
The state health department stated that the risk of infection for the general public remains low. All individuals who had contact with the patient tested negative, and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Public health officials will continue to monitor the health of close contacts.
State health officials stated that this is the second human death in the United States this year related to the virus. In January of this year, one person in Louisiana died from H5N1 avian influenza.
Further Reading
According to the CDC website, H5 avian influenza is widespread among wild birds globally and has caused outbreaks in poultry and dairy cattle. Globally, the H5N1 strain is the dominant strain causing human infection with H5 avian influenza, and this is the first reported case of human infection with the H5N5 strain.
