Nation’s First ‘Severe’ Avian Flu Patient Dies In Louisiana

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Nation’s first ‘severe’ avian flu patient dies in Louisiana​

BY: GREG LAROSE - JANUARY 6, 2025 3:11 PM​

The Louisiana patient who contracted what officials said was the nation’s first “severe” case of avian influenza has died, the state health department said Monday.

The person who contracted the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic bird flu in southwest Louisiana had been hospitalized since mid-December. The patient was over age 65 and had an underlying medical condition, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. They contracted the virus from exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds, officials have said.

State health workers have conducted an “extensive public health investigation” and identified no additional H5N1 cases nor evidence of person-to-person transmission, LDH said in a news release. The patient has been the only human case of H5N1 reported in Louisiana.

Nation’s first ‘severe’ avian flu patient dies in Louisiana • Louisiana Illuminator

The Louisiana patient who contracted what officials said was the nation’s first “severe” case of avian influenza has died, the state health department said Monday.

lailluminator.com

 

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H5N1 infects birds and poultry. It can be passed on to humans who work in close contact with sick and dead birds. Human cases reported in other states have mostly been linked to dairy workers where the virus has been spread to cattle.

The virus can cause severe breathing problems and death in birds. Similar, severe flu-like symptoms can appear in humans, though the risk for public health is considered generally low.

 

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Experts also advise against eating uncooked or undercooked food. Cooking poultry, eggs and other animal products to the proper temperature helps lower the risk from any possible contaminants.

Sick birds or animals should be reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture at 1-866-536-7593 or the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Diagnostic Lab at 318-927-3441.

 

[JGalt]

Birds are beady-eyed little throwbacks to the dinosaurs, but they are tasty.

Yum.