Second Bird Flu Death in the US This Year

A resident of Washington state in the US has died after being infected with a strain of bird flu, bringing the number of deaths from the disease in the country to two for 2024.

The patient, an elderly person with underlying health conditions, was admitted to a hospital earlier this month. Tests showed that he was suffering from the H5-N4 strain of the bird flu virus, the first known infection from this strain in a human.

The finding was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Authorities reassure that the risk to the general population remains low and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. The patient had a domestic poultry farm in his garden, which is considered the most likely source of infection.

The CDC has recorded more than 70 human cases of bird flu in the US this year. In January, a patient in Louisiana died after being infected with the H5-N1 strain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded more than 1,000 human cases of bird flu since 2023 in 25 countries, regardless of strain.