First death linked to avian flu in the United States

The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the death of a person recently diagnosed with severe symptoms of H5N1 avian influenza, making this the first death linked to the virus.

America’s first bird flu death has been reported in Louisiana. The state’s Department of Health says the person was over 65 and reportedly had underlying medical conditions. cnn.it/3Pqi3i3

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-01-06T21:21:42.499Z

The death comes at a time when the H5N1 virus has recently undergone an unusual mutation that is causing concern to the World Health Organization. This mutation, judged to be one of the most worrying ever observed, is currently being closely monitored.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the 65-year-old deceased was most likely exposed to H5N1 through contact with domestic birds in the backyard of his home, which in turn interacted with wild birds.

However, the investigation concluded that no other cases of human H5N1 were linked to this incident.

H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu, emerged in 2003, primarily affecting Asia. Since then, more than 800 very severe human cases of H5N1 have been confirmed, with a mortality rate of around 50%.

Since its appearance in 2003, H5N1 has had a profound impact on the food industry, particularly poultry and dairy production, leading to the slaughter of hundreds of millions of birds to curb its spread.

This crisis has led to considerable economic losses, disrupted supply chains due to global health concerns.

The virus is being closely monitored in the USA and Canada, particularly after a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia, recently hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1, survived the infection.

The cause of her infection remains unknown, despite extensive investigation.

Authorities are reassuring that no human-to-human transmission has been identified to date.