The Louisiana Department of Health announced Monday that a U.S. patient hospitalized with the H5N1 avian flu virus had died, the first death in the country following the virus outbreak that has infected dozens of people and millions of poultry and livestock.
Nearly 70 people in the United States have been infected with avian flu since April, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of them farmers who were exposed to sick chickens or dairy cattle.
The Louisiana patient, the first person in the country to be hospitalized with the virus, contracted bird flu after being exposed to a mixture of backyard chickens and wild birds, Louisiana health officials said . The patient was hospitalized on Dec. 18, 2024, state health officials said.
Authorities said the patient was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions.
“While the current public health risk remains low, people who work with, or are recreationally exposed to, birds, poultry or livestock are at greatest risk. “The department said in a statement.
The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
