Person dies from H5N5 avian influenza in the US

Testing at the UW Medicine Clinical Virology Lab identified the virus as H5N5, making this the first recorded infection with this variant in a person globally. The result was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The person, who was reportedly an older adult with underlying health conditions, had been hospitalised since early November.

Monitoring for human-to-human spread

“The risk to the public remains low,” noted the Washington State Department of Health. “No other people involved have tested positive for avian influenza. Public health officials will continue to monitor anyone who was in close contact with the patient for symptoms to ensure that human-to-human spread has not occurred. There is no evidence of transmission of this virus between people.”

Determining the source of exposure

The person had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds. Deprtment of Health sampling identified avian influenza virus in the environment of the flock, making exposure to the domestic poultry, their environment, or wild birds the most likely source of exposure for this patient.

People who had exposure to the backyard flock and environment are also being monitored for symptoms.