US reports first human H5N1 death
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The man had underlying health conditions and is believed to have caught the virus directly from birds. Copy link. twitter. facebook. whatsapp. email. A man in Louisiana has become the first person ever to die of H5N1 bird flu in the United States. The patient, a 65-year-old with underlying health conditions, tested positive for the virus in mid-December and was sent to hospital soon after.
He is believed to have caught the disease directly from birds kept on his property, the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) previously said. Local health authorities in Louisiana said no further cases had been detected and there was no evidence of transmission between humans.
H5N1 has swept through US poultry farms and dairy cattle herds in a major outbreak which began last year. Over 900 herds have now been infected across the country, according to the latest figures from the CDC. As a result, more than 60 people have contracted the virus, the vast majority of them agricultural workers who had contact with infected animals.
Nearly all of the cases detected so far have presented with mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis and sore throat. However, the Louisiana patient contracted a different strain of the virus, one linked directly to birds rather than the strain circulating amongst dairy cattle. This bird-derived strain is believed to cause more severe illness.
