Public health authorities will continue to monitor anyone who has been in close contact with the patient to detect symptoms and ensure there has been no person-to-person transmission,» they added.
U.S. health authorities announced the death of a patient infected with the H5N5 virus, a rare strain of avian influenza, marking the first recorded human death from this variant. «A resident of Grays Harbor County, who was being treated for H5N5 avian influenza, died today,» the Washington State Department of Health reported in a statement.
According to authorities, the deceased was the first person in the world to contract the H5N5 virus, a strain that had only been detected in animals until now. The department described them as «an older adult with underlying conditions» and emphasized that the risk to the public «remains low» as there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus. «No other involved individuals have tested positive for avian influenza,» the statement noted.
The individual had a flock of mixed domestic birds in their backyard, which, according to health authorities' tests, was «the most likely source of infection.» Avian influenza is present in wild aquatic birds worldwide and can be transmitted to domestic birds such as chickens and ducks.
