The United States records the first human death from bird flu

The United States has recorded its first human death from bird flu, a grim achievement that comes with at least 66 cases recorded in the country.

The patient, who was over 65 years old and had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalized in Louisiana in December; This case was considered the first serious human infection with the H5N1 virus in the country.

The Louisiana Department of Health said the patient was exposed to a mixture of a backyard flock and wild birds.

“The administration expresses its deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved ones,” she said in a statement. “Due to patient confidentiality and out of respect for the patient’s family, this will be the last update on the patient.”

All but one case of human bird flu confirmed to date in the United States were diagnosed in the past 10 months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases have been relatively mild, with symptoms including rosacea, coughing or sneezing.

The majority of patients became ill after exposure to infected livestock or poultry. The Louisiana patient was the first case linked to exposure to a backyard herd.

Only two cases involved patients who had no known exposure to animals. One of them was a person in Missouri who was hospitalized with bird flu in September, but recovered after being treated with antiviral drugs. The other was a child in California who suffered mild symptoms in November.

Public health officials have found no evidence that the virus has been transmitted from person to person, which would represent a terrible step in the evolution of bird flu. However, virus samples collected from the Louisiana patient showed signs of mutations that could make it more transmissible to humans, according to the CDC.

The CDC maintains that the immediate public health risk is low. “A sporadic case of severe H5N1 avian influenza disease in a person is not unexpected,” the agency said last month.

For those concerned about the risks of bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people not to drink raw, unpasteurized milk or come into contact with sick or dead animals. Those working on poultry farms or dairy farms affected by the H5N1 virus should wear personal protective equipment and monitor for symptoms.

The federal response to bird flu accelerated a month ago, when the USDA ordered testing of the national milk supply, starting with six states. The Biden administration also allocated $306 million last week for additional surveillance, laboratory testing and medical research for bird flu.

But some experts have criticized the US response for being too slow or limited.

“The Biden administration has been mishandling the outbreak in livestock for months, raising the possibility of a dangerous, broader spread,” two former FDA officials wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on Friday.