A Washington state resident is the first person to die of the highly pathogenic avian influenza variant H5N5, according to a press release from the state’s health department.
This is the first known global death from H5N5. There have been 71 cases and one death from H5N1 in the United States since 2024.
The person—hospitalized since early November in Kings County, Washington—owned a flock of mixed domestic birds, and health department testing confirmed the presence of H5N5 in the environment, meaning the individual likely contracted the virus from “exposure to the domestic poultry, their environment, or wild birds the most likely source of exposure for this patient,” according to the statement.
The risk for H5N5 transmission to humas remains low, the statement said. “No other people involved have tested positive for avian influenza,” it stated. “Public health officials will continue to monitor anyone who was in close contact with the patient for symptoms to ensure that human-to-human spread has not occurred.”
The public can take steps to stay healthy, like not consuming raw milk, not touching dead wildlife, and getting a flu shot. “It is especially important that people who may have exposure to domestic or wild birds get a seasonal flu vaccine,” the statement said. “While the seasonal flu vaccine will not prevent bird flu infection, it reduces the risk of becoming sick with both human and avian influenza viruses at the same time. Though unlikely, infection with both viruses could result in the emergence of an avian influenza virus that is more easily transmitted from person to person.”
Based on a Washington State Department of Health press release.
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