A Washington state resident is believed to be the primary individual to die from a uncommon pressure of chook flu, however state well being officers mentioned Friday the chance to the general public is low.
The individual, an older grownup with underlying well being circumstances, was being handled for a chook flu referred to as H5N5 after turning into seemingly the primary recognized human contaminated by the pressure, based on an announcement from the Washington State Division of Well being.
The individual 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 danger to the general public stays low,” the assertion from state well being officers mentioned. “No different individuals concerned have examined optimistic for avian influenza.”
Well being officers mentioned they’ll monitor anybody who got here in shut contact with the individual, however “there is no such thing as a proof of transmission of this virus between individuals.”
Earlier this month, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention issued an announcement in regards to the an infection that mentioned no info would recommend “the chance to public well being has elevated because of this case.”
H5N5 just isn’t believed to be a better menace 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 delicate 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.
