A person in Louisiana who contracted a severe case of avian influenza last month died Monday, marking the first case of a death in the U.S. following contraction of the virus.
The patient, who was hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 on Dec. 18, was over 65 years old and was reported to have underlying health conditions, according to a Louisiana Department of Health release. The person contracted the virus after being exposed to both a non-commercial poultry flock and wild birds, the release said.
Genetic sequences in influenza virus samples collected from the patient were determined by the Centers for Disease Control to differ from sequences found in poultry on the patient's property, suggesting gene mutations occurred in the patient after infection.
The Louisiana Department of Health has not found the virus to have infected any other people in the state or any evidence of person-to-person transmission.
CDC says there have been 66 human cases of bird flu in the U.S., nearly all of them farmworkers. Thirty-six have been dairy workers in California.
The agency maintains the risk to humans is low.
"Overall, CDC considers the risk to the general public associated with the ongoing U.S. HPAI A(H5N1) outbreak has not changed and remains low," the agency said. "The detection of a severe human case with genetic changes in a clinical specimen underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry, and prevention measures among people with exposure to infected animals or environments."
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