The first serious case of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a patient in Louisiana who has since been hospitalized with the illness.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that this was the “first instance of severe illness” from H5N1 recorded in the U.S. after it was confirmed on Friday.
The agency said that a total of 61 cases have been reported in the U.S. over the last eight months.
“It has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks,” the CDC said. “This is the first case of H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. that has been linked to exposure to a backyard flock. A sporadic case of severe H5N1 bird flu illness in a person is not unexpected; avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection has previously been associated with severe human illness in other countries during 2024 and prior years, including illness resulting in…
