Louisiana Reports First Bird Flu-Related Death in the U.S., State Agency Confirms
Louisiana Reports First Bird Flu-Related Death in the U.S., State Agency Confirms
Washington, D.C. On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health announced that a U.S. patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu had died. This was the first death in the country caused by an outbreak of the virus that has sickened dozens of people and millions of birds and animals.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that since April, nearly 70 people in the U.S. have gotten bird flu. Most of these people were farm workers around sick chickens or dairy cows.
According to state health officials, the person in Louisiana who got bird flu from being around backyard chickens and wild birds was the first person in the country to be treated with the virus. The person was taken to the hospital on December 18.The person was over 65 and had other health problems, according to the police.
“While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk,” the department said.
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