US Resident Sick With Bird Flu Strain Never Seen Before In Humans: ‘Virus Of Pandemic Potential’

Last Updated:November 15, 2025, 19:59 IST

The Washington resident is elderly and is suffering from other underlying health issues.

A Washington person diagnosed with bird flu has raised concerns in the US as officials investigate possible exposure to backyard poultry. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

An elderly resident of Washington state has been hospitalised with bird flu, the Washington State Health Department said, adding that the patient is infected with a strain of the virus that has not previously been detected in humans.

US broadcaster CNN, which first reported the development, said this is the first human case of bird flu recorded in the United States in nine months. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has maintained that the overall risk to the general public remains low.

However, Dr Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, cautioned that the virus still has “pandemic potential".

The patient from Grays Harbor County has been receiving treatment for H5N5 avian influenza since early November. State and local public health officials, along with agriculture department authorities, are investigating how the individual was exposed. They told CNN they suspect the infection may have come from backyard poultry.

The virus spreads through an infected animal’s saliva, mucus and feces, and can also be transmitted through milk from dairy cattle. The risk of bird flu typically rises in late fall and winter as migrating birds interact with other animals, including backyard flocks.

Bird flu has circulated in wild birds across the world for decades, but the current US outbreak, which began in January 2022, has shown significantly more transmission among mammals than in previous years.

There have so far been no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission in the United States. Washington state officials have launched contact tracing to inform anyone who came in close contact with the Grays Harbor patient, advising them to monitor symptoms and undergo testing if required.

According to the CDC, around 70 human bird flu cases have been reported in the US during the ongoing outbreak. One elderly patient with underlying health conditions died in January. Most infections have been mild, with symptoms such as red eyes and fever, the agency said.

News world US Resident Sick With Bird Flu Strain Never Seen Before In Humans: ‘Virus Of Pandemic Potential’

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