Washington state resident dies from bird flu as another case is confirmed
A person in Washington state has died from avian influenza after exposure to infected dairy cattle, according to health officials. A third human case linked to the dairy outbreak has also been confirmed in Yakima County.
In a statement released Monday, the Yakima Health District said the hospitalized patient died from complications of bird flu. The individual had underlying health conditions and had been exposed at a dairy with infected cattle in Yakima County, in south-central Washington.
Officials did not release the patient’s name, age or gender, citing the family’s privacy.
The newly confirmed case involves a Yakima County resident exposed to infected dairy cattle at a local farm. That person has not experienced severe illness or been hospitalized.
The patient who died was one of two previously reported cases. The first infection was announced October 15 and involved a resident who isolated at home without severe illness or hospitalization.
Health authorities are monitoring close contacts of the patient who died and identifying people who may have been in close contact with the newly confirmed patient.
“Avian influenza can cause severe illness, particularly among people who have underlying health conditions,” said Dr. Dave Atteberry, the district’s health officer. “While this is a serious and heartbreaking outcome, the risk to the general public remains low.”
The district said human-to-human transmission of avian influenza is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States. Dairy workers and others with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or contaminated environments face a greater risk.
The infections follow an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu announced October 8 at two Yakima County dairies, the first known detections in Washington dairy cattle. Additional infected farms have since been identified in Yakima County and one in neighboring Benton County.
Washington’s first human H5N1 case was identified in October 2024 following exposure to infected poultry.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
