A Yakima County, Washington, resident died Sunday, November 1, from complications of bird flu after exposure at a dairy with infected cattle, the Yakima Health District announced.
The person had been hospitalized with severe illness and had underlying health conditions. The district did not release the person's name, age or gender, citing the family's privacy.
The same announcement reported a third confirmed human case in the county, also following exposure to infected dairy cattle. That person had not developed severe illness or needed hospitalization. Public health teams are identifying close contacts and monitoring them for symptoms.
Health officials said the risk to the general public remains low. People with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, including dairy workers, face greater risk. The district said person-to-person transmission of bird flu has never been documented in the United States.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the CDC identified the fatal infection as H5N1. A CDC spokesperson told AP that genetic analysis found no changes that would make the virus spread more easily or cause more severe illness.
The district advises dairy workers who develop symptoms after possible exposure to infected cattle to contact a health care provider or call Yakima Health District at 509-480-3770.
