On Jan. 7, we reported that the Louisiana Department of Health reported that the patient who had been hospitalized with the first human case of H5N1 in the U.S. has died.
The patient “was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions. The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.”
Currently, according to the CDC, “H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.”
Further, the CDC said that the current public health risk is low, yet the agency is monitoring the situation and working with states to monitor individuals with animal exposures. CDC is also using its flu surveillance system to watch for H5 bird flu activity in humans.
Janette Wider | Editor-in-Chief
Janette Wider is Editor-in-Chief for Healthcare Purchasing News.
