A Washington state man is believed to be the primary individual to die from a uncommon pressure of chicken flu, however state well being officers mentioned Friday the chance to the general public is low.
The person, an older grownup with underlying well being circumstances, was being handled for a chicken flu known as H5N5 after changing into seemingly the primary identified human contaminated by the pressure, based on an announcement from the Washington State Division of Well being.
The person from Grays Harbor County, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) southwest of Seattle, had a yard flock of home poultry that had been uncovered to wild birds, well being officers mentioned.
“The chance to the general public stays low,” the assertion from state well being officers mentioned. “No different folks concerned have examined constructive for avian influenza.”
Well being officers mentioned they may monitor anybody who got here in shut contact with the person, however “there is no such thing as a proof of transmission of this virus between folks.”
Earlier this month, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention issued an announcement in regards to the an infection that mentioned no data would recommend “the chance to public well being has elevated on account of this case.”
H5N5 is just not believed to be a better risk to human well being than the H5N1 virus behind a wave of 70 reported human infections within the U.S. in 2024 and 2025. Most of these have been gentle diseases in staff on dairy and poultry farms.
The excellence between H5N5 and H5N1 lies in a protein concerned in releasing the virus from an contaminated cell and selling unfold to surrounding cells.
