The United States reported the first death of a person from bird flu. Few additional details were released about the patient, but it was learned that he was hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms in the southern state of Louisiana.
Bird flu claimed its first life in the United States, a person from Louisiana who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms, state health officials reported Monday.
Health officials have said the person was over 65 years old, had underlying medical conditions and had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a homemade chicken coop. They also noted that a genetic analysis had suggested that the bird flu virus had mutated within the patient, which could have led to more severe illness.
Few additional details about the patient have been released so far.
The United States has reported 66 confirmed human bird flu infections since last March, but previous cases have been mild and most have been detected among farm workers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows.
A death from bird flu was not unexpected, according to expert virologists. More than 460 people have died from different versions of the H5N1 bird flu virus since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
The bird flu virus “is a serious threat and historically has been a deadly virus,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “This is just a tragic reminder of that.” .
Nuzzo noted that a Canadian teenager became seriously ill after a recent infection. Researchers are still trying to assess the dangers of the current version of the virus and determine what causes it to affect some people more than others, he said.
“Just because we have seen mild cases does not mean that future cases will continue to be mild,” he added.
In two of the recent cases in the United States—an adult in Missouri and a child in California—health authorities have not yet determined how they became infected. The origin of the person's infection in Louisiana was not considered a mystery. However, it was the first human case in the United States linked to exposure to poultry on a domestic farm, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Louisiana officials say they are not aware of any other cases in the state, while federal authorities have said they have no evidence the virus is spreading from person to person.
H5N1 bird flu has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry, cows and other animals. Its growing presence in the environment increases the possibilities of exposure and contagion in humans, according to officials.
Officials continue to urge people who come into contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection equipment, as well as gloves when handling poultry.