US — Ars Technica

Third person dies of bird flu since virus started jumping to livestock

PolicyNovember 3, 20261 min read

A person in Washington state has died from bird flu after being around an infected dairy farm. It is the third human bird flu death in the United States since the virus began spreading from birds to dairy cows.

What happened

State health officials said a person in Yakima County, Washington, died from bird flu. The person had been exposed at an infected dairy farm. The person also had health problems that may have made the illness more dangerous. Officials will not share the person's name, gender, or age, to protect the family's privacy.

Key facts

This is the third human bird flu death in the US since the virus started jumping to dairy cows.
Three people in Washington have tested positive for bird flu since the virus was found in dairy cattle in the state on October 8.
All three cases are in Yakima County.
The third case was found when officials announced the death. Like the first case, it was a person who had contact with an infected dairy herd.
The first two cases have not become severely ill or been hospitalized.

Background

Bird flu is a virus that mainly spreads among birds. A strain called highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza, or HPAI, made an unusual jump from wild migrating birds to dairy cows. This was first reported in the US in March 2024. Scientists are watching closely because the virus can also infect people.

Why it matters

Any human death from bird flu is serious. Health officials say the risk to the general public is still low. However, the virus is still a threat to people who work closely with infected animals, such as dairy workers.

What to watch

Whether more people on dairy farms test positive for bird flu.
Whether the virus spreads from person to person, which has not been reported in this story.
Updates from Washington state and Yakima County health officials.

Glossary

bird flu: A virus that spreads mainly among birds and can sometimes infect people and animals like cows.
avian influenza: The scientific name for bird flu, a flu virus that infects birds.
HPAI: Highly pathogenic avian influenza, a very dangerous type of bird flu that can make animals very sick.
H5: A group or type of bird flu virus that scientists track by its surface protein.
dairy herd: A group of cows raised on a farm to produce milk.

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