A resident of Washington state has died after contracting a rare bird flu strain previously found only in animals, according to The Straits Times. This marks the second human death from bird flu in the US so far in 2025. State health officials report the patient was an older adult hospitalized since early November, and this is the world's first documented human infection with the H5N5 variant.
The Washington state health department says the individual kept a backyard flock of domestic birds, suspected as the source of exposure. No other people have tested positive for avian influenza in connection with this case, and there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the findings. Public health risk is presently considered low.
More broadly in the US, the CDC has tracked over 70 human bird flu cases this year, including a death in Louisiana in January from the H5N1 strain. Globally, data from the World Health Organization shows more than 1,000 cases in humans since 2003 across 25 countries, spanning multiple variants. Sporadic human infections continue to be reported in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The CDC highlights that the most recently circulating viruses—particularly H5N1—are genetically different from earlier versions, though only a handful of human cases have been reported worldwide this year.
The CDC also notes that their labs have had difficulty isolating the virus from the newest US cases, making it hard to precisely determine each infection’s strain. Bird flu risks generally remain highest among people with direct and prolonged exposure to poultry or wild birds. While most cases have not involved person-to-person transmission, the World Health Organization urges ongoing vigilance due to the virus’s potential to evolve.
Elsewhere, several countries in Asia and Africa have reported isolated outbreaks among wild birds, farm poultry, or, in rare instances, humans. No major clusters have been identified in recent weeks outside the US, but surveillance continues given the seasonal activity of bird flu pathogens.
Thank you for tuning in to this week’s bird flu update. Please come back next week for more news and information. This has been a Quiet Please production— for more, check out QuietPlease.ai.
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