Washington state resident dies of ‘serious illness’ after contracting bird flu | Washington State

A Washington state resident has died after being hospitalized with a “serious illness” after contracting bird flu, local health officials said Sunday.

The individual was exposed to avian influenza, also known as bird flu, at a dairy with infected cattle in Yakima County, according to a news release. The person was then hospitalized with serious illness and died on Sunday. Health officials said the individual, whose identity has not been released, had underlying health conditions.

“The Yakima Health District extends its sincere condolences to this individual’s family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” the district said in a statement.

He is the first person in the United States to die from complications of bird flu this year, according to the Associated Press. This comes as Yakima County officials reported that since the beginning of October, 33 dairy herds have tested positive for “highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

The Yakima Health District said it is, in coordination with the Washington State Department of Health, monitoring human cases of avian flu in Yakima County. So far, the district has recorded three confirmed human cases in the county.

In Sunday’s release, the health district announced the third confirmed human case of avian flu in the county. The individual was “exposed to infected dairy cattle at a Yakima County dairy,” but did not suffer serious illness or require hospitalization.

Officials said they were working with public health partners to identify and contact anyone “who may have been in close contact with the person to monitor for symptoms.”

County officials stressed that “the risk of avian flu infection to the general public remains low” and that “those most at risk include dairy workers and others who have close or prolonged contact with infected animals or environments contaminated with the virus.”

Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza is “extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States,” they said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded 72 human cases of avian flu across the country since 2024, according to agency data. The CDC maintained that there was no known person-to-person spread and the risk to the general public remained low.

The CDC announced the first death in the United States from complications related to avian flu in January 2025.