A Washington state resident has died after being hospitalized with a severe illness from bird flu, local health officials said Sunday, according to The Guardian.
The individual was exposed to avian influenza at a dairy with infected cattle in Yakima County, officials said in a news release. The person was hospitalized with severe illness and died Sunday. Officials said the individual, whose identity was not released, had underlying health conditions.
The Yakima Health District offered condolences to the family, friends and loved ones in a statement. The death is the first in the United States this year from complications of bird flu, the Associated Press reported. Since early October, 33 dairy herds in Yakima County have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The district said it is monitoring human cases in coordination with the Washington State Department of Health and has recorded three confirmed human cases in the county. The third case, also announced Sunday, involved a person exposed to infected dairy cattle who did not experience severe illness or require hospitalization. Officials said they are working with public health partners to identify and contact anyone who may have been in close contact with the person to monitor for symptoms. The district stressed that the risk to the general public remains low, that dairy workers and others in close contact with infected animals are at greater risk, and that human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States.