Louisiana Reports First H5N1 Death, Patient Exposed to Poultry and Wild Birds

Louisiana Department of Health announced on Monday that a patient hospitalized with H5N1 had passed away. The patient was over 65 years old and had underlying health conditions. The individual contracted H5N1 after exposure to poultry and wild birds in their backyard and was admitted to the hospital on December 18.

The Louisiana Department of Health stated that no additional H5N1 cases or evidence of human-to-human transmission have been detected in the area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 66 cases of H5N1 have been documented in the U.S. since April of last year. Before this case, most of the infected individuals were workers in dairy or poultry farms and only exhibited mild symptoms, such as conjunctivitis or respiratory issues.

The Louisiana Department of Health issued a statement emphasizing that while the current public health risk to the general population remains low, individuals in close contact with birds, poultry, or cattle face a higher risk of infection.

H5N1 emerged in 1997 and has since spread globally through migratory bird populations. The World Health Organization reports that approximately 1,000 human infections have been recorded across 24 countries, with a mortality rate of about 50%.