A bird flu patient in Louisiana becomes the first human death in the current H5N1 outbreak

Sick of the firstSerious conditionOne person infected with bird flu in the United States has died, according to a news release issued Monday by the Louisiana Department of Health. It is the first human death from H5N1 in the country since concern about the current outbreak began in early 2024 when it became clear that the virus was being transmitted in the United States among livestock.

“The patient was over 65 years of age and was reported to have underlying medical conditions. The patient became infected with the H5N1 virus after exposure to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds,” the Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement. statement.

There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of bird flu anywhere in the world yet, and health officials stress that they do not believe the deceased patient transmitted the infection to anyone else. But concern that bird flu might mutate in a way that would allow it to spread among humans has been present for months.

“The administration expresses its deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved ones,” the Ministry of Health wrote. “Due to patient confidentiality and out of respect for the family, this will be the last update on the patient.”

The patient is believed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus Backyard chickensIt has been shown to be a more serious form of the disease in humans. Most human cases acquired in the United States during the current outbreak have been in farmworkers who were exposed to livestock, creating a much milder version of the disease.

Centers for Disease Control Bird flu tracker The website currently lists 10 states with known human cases of bird flu. The states include California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Two cases in California and Missouri came from unknown sources where the patients did not work with farm animals.

There were also possible additional cases in Washington, Arizona, California and Delaware where the source was unknown and testing had not yet confirmed whether it was H5N1. California has the highest number of cases by far, but the only laboratory in the state that can confirm bird flu is understaffed, according to the Center for Avian Influenza Research. Los Angeles Times.

Countries like Finland are vaccinating farm workers against bird flu, but the US federal government has not published a strategy for vaccinating farm workers because the United States is a failed state that lacks even a shred of common sense. With Donald Trump regaining control of the White House on January 20, you can bet that he will handle any new potential pandemic as he did the last one. That means it’s not very good.

The case in Louisiana is the first human death from bird flu in the United States during the current outbreak, but a death occurred in Mexico in May 2024 In a patient with no known exposure to farm animals. The case, like the patient in Louisiana, was a person with other underlying conditions, though it’s not clear what those were.

The Louisiana Department of Health released a list of things people should do to avoid getting sick, including properly cooking meat and poultry and not consuming raw milk and cheese. Bird flu can remain in raw milk for a long time About five daysAnd a cat in Oregon He died last month After contracting bird flu from raw foods, pets are not immune to this virus.

• Do not touch sick or dead animals or their droppings and do not bring sick wild animals into your home.
• Keep your pets away from sick or dead animals and their feces.
• Do not eat uncooked or undercooked food. Cook poultry, eggs, and other animal products to the proper temperature and prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods.
• Avoid uncooked food products such as unpasteurized raw milk or cheese from animals with suspected or confirmed infection.
• If you work on poultry or dairy farms, talk to your provider about getting the seasonal flu vaccine. This treatment will not prevent infection with avian influenza viruses, but it can reduce the risk of coinfection with avian and influenza viruses.

Do what you can to protect yourselves with these measures, guys. Because there is no guarantee that we will be able to avoid H5N1 becoming another pandemic.