YAKIMA COUNTY RESIDENT DIES AFTER CONTRACTING BIRD FLU

A Yakima County resident in Washington state died on Sunday after being hospitalised with bird flu, local health officials said. The individual, not publicly identified, had underlying health conditions and had been exposed to avian influenza at a dairy with infected cattle. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the person was infected with the H5N1 strain. The Yakima Health District said: "The Yakima health district offers its heartfelt condolences to the individual's family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time." It is the first bird flu death recorded in the US this year, according to the Associated Press.

Yakima County officials said 33 dairy herds have tested positive for avian influenza since early October. The health district has recorded three human bird flu cases linked to dairy exposure in the county, including a third case that did not require hospital treatment. Officials are working with the state health department to trace people who had close contact with those infected. Two further US bird flu deaths have occurred since 2024: an elderly Louisiana resident with H5N1, announced in January 2025, and a Washington state resident who died in November 2025 from a rarer strain, H5N5.

The CDC analysed the genetic sequence of the virus and found no changes that would make it spread more easily or cause more severe illness. Officials describe the risk to the general public as low, and say dairy workers face greater risk. Human-to-human transmission of bird flu has never been documented in the United States, officials said. The CDC has recorded 72 human bird flu infections since the start of 2024, and officials continue to urge farm workers to wear protective equipment.