A Louisiana patient who has been lingering in a hospital since mid-December with a serious case of bird flu is the first death associated with H5N1 in the United States.
The individual was older than 65 with underlying health conditions, according to the Louisiana Health Department in its announcement on Monday. The patient, the only known person to have contracted bird flu in Louisiana, had been in contact with a combination of a backyard flock of poultry and wild birds.
An analysis of the virus suggests it had mutated within the individual and might be the reason why the virus was especially vigorous, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death comes days after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would award $306 million to continue its H5N1 Avian Flu response into 2025.
“While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for any possible scenario that could arise,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Preparedness is the key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe.”
Throughout the country, H5N1 continues to proliferate in commercial and backyard flocks. In Michigan, two more commercial poultry flocks were detected to have H5N1, according to an announcement Friday by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. They are the first cases to be reported in 2025 and brings the total number of flocks with H5N1 to six in Ottawa County this winter season.
The CDC reports a total of 66 people, primarily farmworkers, were diagnosed with H5N1 in the United States in 2024.
This has been a remarkable year for the evolution of the bird flu virus. For the first time, H5N1 jumped from poultry to mammals, including dairy cows, ultimately infecting 917 herds in 16 states as of Monday.
Nearly 131 million poultry in all 50 states were infected with H5N1 in 2024. Bird flu is fatal to birds. Once a bird is identified with the virus, the entire flock is culled to prevent further spread.
Other mammals that have died of the virus include cats, elephant seals, and polar bears. The virus has been detected in raw milk.
First Published January 7, 2025, 4:38 p.m.
