Bird flu symptoms in humans as US reports first-ever death
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After the US has confirmed its first-ever bird flu-related death, health experts have shared how to spot the disease in humans. The patient, who was over the age of 65, had underlying health conditions and contracted bird flu from a flock of wild birds in his garden, according to the Louisiana health department.
An investigation has not found evidence of person-to-person transmission but said: “While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at a higher risk.” There have been 66 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the US since 2024, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Who is at risk of contracting bird flu?. Bird flu mainly affects birds but it can affect humans and other mammals, though the risk of this is low according to the UK Health Security Agency. There are various different strains of bird flu virus and while most don’t infect humans H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 have infected people around the world.
In February 2021, H5N8 was found to have infected a small number of people for the first time in Russia, the NHS reported. The same year, 24 cases of LPAI H9N2 virus were identified in China in both adults and children - and there was one death. The UK has also had cases - in January 2022 an 80-year-old man who raised ducks became sick.
