First U.S. human death from bird flu reported in Louisiana

Louisiana health authorities confirmed on Monday the first human death in the United States linked to bird flu, marking a significant development in the ongoing H5N1 outbreak. The patient, aged over 65, had been hospitalized in the southern state since mid-December, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified it as the country’s first serious case of human infection from the H5N1 virus.

While the Louisiana Department of Health stated that the general risk to the public remains “low,” they emphasized that individuals working with birds, poultry, or cows, or those with recreational exposure to these animals, face a higher risk. The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a mix of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds, but no additional human infections or evidence of person-to-person transmission have been detected.

The announcement follows a recent $306 million federal investment aimed at strengthening H5N1 surveillance programs and research. This comes amid increasing concern from scientists about the virus’s potential to mutate into a more transmissible form, raising fears of a pandemic.

Since January 2024, the CDC has reported 66 cases of bird flu in humans in the U.S. Despite the low risk to the public, experts remain alarmed by the virus’s lethality. Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University professor of epidemiology, warned that the virus has proven to be more lethal than many others, fueling calls for increased action from the U.S. government.

Genetic sequencing of the virus from the Louisiana patient revealed differences from strains found in dairy herds across the country. The patient’s virus also exhibited small genetic modifications, suggesting it may have adapted to the human respiratory system. However, researchers caution that such mutations alone do not guarantee the virus will become more contagious or transmissible between humans.

Since its discovery in 1996, H5N1 outbreaks among bird flocks have surged, with mammal species also increasingly affected. While the CDC acknowledged the potential for severe illness and death from H5N1 infections, the organization reassured that such fatalities were not unexpected. The World Health Organization has recorded over 950 human bird flu cases globally since 2003, with a significant concentration in China and Vietnam.

Despite the low risk to the public, experts, including Nuzzo, continue to voice concerns about the unchecked spread of the virus and the urgent need for prevention measures to reduce human infections. “This is a nasty virus that no one wants to get,” she emphasized.