a first death linked to avian flu recorded in the United States – RT in French

For the first time in the United States, the death of a patient with the H5N1 virus was recorded, the press service of the Louisiana State Department of Health reported on January 6. The man in question was “over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions.”

A patient hospitalized in critical condition and suffering from a severe form of avian flu (H5N1) died in a hospital in the US state of Louisiana, the press service of the Department of Health of Louisiana announced on January 6. Louisiana.

This report highlights that this is the first human death in the United States from the H5N1 virus. “The patient was over 65 years old and suffered from underlying medical problems” it is stated in particular. According to the same source, he contracted avian flu “after being exposed to a combination of non-commercially bred birds and wild birds.”

Daily life The Hill noted that news of the patient’s death comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in late December that it had spotted that the Louisiana patient’s virus had “mutations.” “In this case, no transmission from the Louisiana patient to other individuals was identified,” the agency noted in its report.

The Louisiana Department of Health reiterated precautions to take against infection. Specialists advise avoiding direct contact with wild birds, sick or dead animals, not eating raw or undercooked food and getting vaccinated on time.

66 human cases confirmed in the United States

A case of human infection with the H5N1 virus was reported in Texas in April. The second in the United States since April 2022. The patient is believed to have fallen ill after coming into contact with suspected infected dairy cows.

The H5N1 virus was first identified in 1996 in geese in China. In 1997, human infections were reported during an outbreak in poultry in Hong Kong. Since 2003, avian flu has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa, and to the Americas in 2021.

In the United States, outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza have occurred in wild birds and poultry since 2022. At the time of writing, there have been 66 confirmed cases of human infection with the virus in the country, most of them in between them following exposure to poultry or cows.