65-year-old dies in first US bird flu death reported in Louisiana, what is H5N1

The individual from Louisiana, who was older than 65, was taken to hospital with severe respiratory symptoms. The patient reportedly had underlying medical conditions, and had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.

Since March, 66 confirmed bird flu infections have been reported in the U.S., but these cases have mostly been mild, primarily occurring among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows. Globally, the World Health Organization reports over 950 confirmed bird flu infections since 2003, with more than 460 fatalities.

A bird flu death was not unexpected, virus experts said. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health, said: “This is just a tragic reminder of that. The bird flu virus is a serious threat, and it has historically been a deadly virus.”

Nuzzo said a recent case involving a Canadian teenager also resulted in severe illness. Researchers continue to assess the current strain’s dangers and the factors contributing to its varying severity in human cases. “Just because we have seen mild cases does not mean future cases will continue to be mild,” Nuzzo added.

The CDC described the Louisiana death as tragic but reassured the public: “There are no concerning virologic changes actively spreading in wild birds, poultry or cows that would raise the risk to human health.”

Louisiana officials reported no additional cases in the state. While the origin of the Louisiana case is not considered a mystery, it marks the first human infection in the US tied to exposure to backyard birds. The CDC also noted that two recent US cases - involving an adult in Missouri and a child in California - remain under investigation regarding how the virus was contracted.

The H5N1 bird flu strain has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry, cows, and other animals, increasing the risk of human exposure. However, US officials said there is no evidence of the virus spreading from person to person.

Health officials continue to urge people to take precautions when handling sick or dead birds, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves. These measures are critical as the virus’s growing presence in the environment raises the chances of exposure.

What is bird flu or H5N1?

According to the NHS, Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can affect humans. There are lots of different strains of bird flu virus. Most of them don't infect humans. But there are 4 strains that have caused concern in recent years:

• H5N1 (since 1997)
• H7N9 (since 2013)
• H5N6 (since 2014)
• H5N8 (since 2016)

Although H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 don't infect people easily and aren't usually spread from human to human, several people have been infected around the world, leading to a number of deaths. H5N8 and H5N1 bird flu have been found in some poultry, other captive birds and wild birds in the UK.

H5N6 has also been found in some wild birds in the UK, but this is a different strain to the H5N6 virus that has infected some people in China.