The Louisiana Department of Health said Monday that a US patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died, the first death in the country from an outbreak of the virus that has killed dozens of people and millions of chickens and cattle. made sick
Nearly 70 people in the US have contracted bird flu since April, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of them livestock workers exposed to sick chickens or dairy cows.
The patient in Louisiana, the first person in the country to be hospitalized with the virus, contracted bird flu after being exposed to a mix of backyard chickens and wild birds, officials said health of Louisiana. The patient was hospitalized on Dec. 18, 2024, state health officials said.
The patient was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions, officials said.
“While the public health risk to the general public remains low, people who work with, or have recreational exposure to, birds, poultry or cattle are at higher risk,” said the department in a statement.
The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
