Washington state resident dies after contracting bird flu
A person in Yakima county, Washington, has died of complications from bird flu after exposure at a dairy with infected cattle. It is the first bird flu death in the US this year.
A resident of Washington state, in the northwestern United States, died on Sunday after being hospitalized with severe illness caused by avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, local health officials said. According to the Associated Press, it is the first death in the US from bird flu complications this year.
The Yakima health district said the person was exposed to the virus at a dairy in Yakima county where cattle were infected. The individual's identity has not been released, but officials said the person had underlying health conditions. The district offered condolences to the person's family, friends and loved ones.
Third confirmed human case in the county
In the same Sunday statement, the district announced the county's third confirmed human case of bird flu. That person was also exposed to infected cattle at a dairy in the county, but has not become severely ill or needed hospital treatment. Officials are working with public health partners to find anyone who may have been in close contact with the person and to monitor them for symptoms.
Since early October, 33 dairy herds in Yakima county have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The Yakima health district, together with the Washington state department of health, is monitoring human cases in the county.
Risk to the public
County officials stressed that the risk to the general public remains low. People at greater risk include dairy workers and others with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or virus-contaminated environments. They said human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded 72 human cases of bird flu across the country since 2024. The agency also says there is no known person-to-person spread. The CDC announced the first US death from bird flu complications in January 2025.
