Bird Flu Death: First Human Case in Washington State
- A resident of Washington state is believed to be the first person in the United States to die from a rare strain of bird flu, H5N5, according to...
- The individual, an older adult with pre-existing health conditions, was being treated for the H5N5 infection after becoming the first known human case of the strain.
- The deceased individual resided in Grays Harbor County, approximately 78 miles (125 kilometers) southwest of Seattle, and had a backyard flock of domestic poultry that had been exposed...
Washington State Resident Dies from Rare H5N5 Bird Flu Strain
Table of Contents
First Known Human Case in the U.S.
A resident of Washington state is believed to be the first person in the United States to die from a rare strain of bird flu, H5N5, according to a statement released by the Washington State Department of Health on Friday, November 22, 2024.
The individual, an older adult with pre-existing health conditions, was being treated for the H5N5 infection after becoming the first known human case of the strain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially reported the infection earlier this month, stating that it did not indicate an increased risk to public health.
Exposure and Risk Assessment
The deceased individual resided in Grays Harbor County, approximately 78 miles (125 kilometers) southwest of Seattle, and had a backyard flock of domestic poultry that had been exposed to wild birds. Despite this exposure, state health officials maintain that the risk to the public remains low
.
Health officials are monitoring individuals who had close contact with the person, but currently, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. The Washington State Department of Health confirmed that no othre individuals involved have tested positive for avian influenza.
H5N5 vs. H5N1
While this is the first known human death from H5N5, the virus is not currently believed to pose a greater threat to human health then the H5N1 virus. H5N1 has been responsible for 70 reported human infections in the U.S. in 2024 and 2025, most of which have been mild illnesses among workers on dairy and poultry farms.
The key difference between H5N5 and H5N1 lies in a protein that facilitates the virus’s release from infected cells and its spread to surrounding cells.