First Human Bird Flu Fatality in US

The first fatal H5N1 human infection was reported in Louisiana. The patient was over age 65 and had underlying health conditions. The CDC has confirmed 66 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza in the U.S. as of January 6. The source of exposure of two cases is unknown, but the rest have resulted from exposure to infected poultry or dairy cattle. Bird flu infection is also widespread in wild birds and sporadic in other mammals. There has been no human-to-human transmission and CDC considers public health risk to be low. Learn more.