In the US, a person has died for the first time after being infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus subtype. This was a person over the age of 65 who was hospitalized for a respiratory illness and had contact with wild birds as well as domesticated birdsthe Louisiana Department of Health said Monday without further details. TASR informs about it with reference to the report of the AFP agency.
Authorities in Louisiana reported in December that this person is the first patient in the US who is in critical condition after being infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus. Genetic sequencing showed that the H5N1 virus that infected this patient was different from the virus found in dairy farms and poultry farms in the US.
Despite this death, according to the ministry, the threat of bird flu infection to the general population is small. People who come into contact with birds, poultry or cows are more at risk. The department added that no human-to-human transmission of this disease has been recorded.
The H5N1 virus was first detected in 1996however, since 2020, the number of outbreaks among wild birds has increased sharply, with wild mammals also infected. Experts fear that circulating the virus in mammals could lead to mutations that make it easier for it to spread between humans.
