First U.S. Death from H5N1 Bird Flu Reported in Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the first human death from H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. on Monday, January 6, 2025. The patient, who has not been identified, was hospitalized on December 18 after exposure to both backyard chickens and wild birds.

Health officials reported that the patient, aged over 65 with underlying medical conditions, was at a higher risk for severe illness. This case marks a significant development as nearly 70 individuals in the U.S. have contracted bird flu since April, primarily farmworkers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Despite the tragic outcome, federal and state officials emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low. The CDC’s analysis revealed that the virus strain from the Louisiana patient belongs to the D1.1 genotype, which has recently been identified in wild birds and poultry in Washington State and a severe case in a Canadian teenager in British Columbia. This genotype differs from the B3.13 strain currently found in U.S. dairy cows, typically associated with mild human symptoms like conjunctivitis.

The bird flu outbreak, which began in poultry in 2022, has led to the deaths of nearly 130 million wild and domestic birds and affected 917 dairy herds. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports over 950 human cases of bird flu, with about half resulting in fatalities.