The Department of Health of the state of Louisiana has announced that a patient hospitalized for bird flu (H5N1) has died, which is the first death in the US from the disease that has infected dozens of people, millions of cattle and poultry, AP reports.
Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu since last April, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and most came into contact with sick poultry or livestock.
A patient in Louisiana, the first person in the country to be hospitalized for the virus, became infected after being exposed to a combination of domestic poultry and wild birds, Louisiana state health officials said.
The person was hospitalized on December 18, he was 65 years old and had health problems.
– Although the current risk to public health is low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows or are occasionally exposed to them, have a higher risk – the ministry said in a statement.
The death of the Louisiana patient does not change the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) overall assessment of the immediate public health threat from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.
The CDC has expanded its recommendations for bird flu testing and treatment over the past few months for anyone with high-risk exposure, primarily agricultural workers.
The Louisiana Department of Health has not released details about when the patient died or what treatment he received.
State health officials said they have identified no additional cases of H5N1 among residents or evidence of person-to-person transmission.
(TYPE/Source: Fena/Photo: Illustration)
