A Washington state resident has died after contracting avian influenza, or bird flu, following exposure to infected dairy cattle in Yakima County, local health officials said Sunday. The person had underlying health conditions and was hospitalized with severe illness. Their identity has not been released.
The Yakima Health District said the individual was the county’s third confirmed human case. A separate person exposed to infected cattle at a local dairy was also confirmed as a case on Sunday, but has not developed severe illness or needed hospitalization.
Officials are working with public health partners to identify and contact people who may have been in close contact with the individuals and monitor them for symptoms. They said the risk to the general public remains low, while dairy workers and others with close or prolonged exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments face greater risk. Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States, according to the district.
Since early October, 33 dairy herds in Yakima County have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The CDC has recorded 72 human cases nationwide since 2024 and says there is no known person-to-person spread. The death is the first in the United States from bird flu complications this year, according to the Associated Press; the CDC reported the country’s first such death in January 2025.
Sources: The Guardian World.