H5N5 strain had not previously infected humans
The Washington State Department of Health announced Friday that a resident of Grays Harbor County, a rural coastal county on the state’s Pacific shore, had died from H5N5 avian influenza. The department said the case appeared to be the first documented human infection with the H5N5 strain anywhere in the world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis, according to the health department. H5N5 is distinct from the H5N1 strain that has caused sporadic human infections globally among people exposed to infected poultry and wild birds. While H5N1 has drawn sustained public health attention in recent years, H5N5 had not previously been identified in a human patient.
Officials said the individual had underlying health conditions, according to the Associated Press. The department did not release the person’s name, age, or specific circumstances of the exposure.
Wild birds are the suspected source of the infection, the health department said. H5N5 circulates in wild bird populations and has been detected in avian species in North America. The strain can spread to domestic poultry through contact with infected wild birds or contaminated environments.
The risk to the general public remains low, health officials said. The CDC has said that avian influenza viruses do not generally spread easily between people, though officials continue to monitor for any signs of adaptation that could enable human-to-human transmission.
The Grays Harbor County death adds to a growing record of avian influenza viruses causing severe illness in humans who have direct or indirect contact with infected birds. The H5N1 strain has caused hundreds of human cases globally since it