YAKIMA COUNTY, Washington — A Washington state resident died after being hospitalized with severe illness following exposure to avian influenza at a dairy with infected cattle in Yakima County, health officials said Sunday. The death marks the first in the United States this year from bird flu complications.
The Yakima Health District confirmed the individual had underlying health conditions. Since early October, 33 dairy herds in Yakima County have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The district has recorded three confirmed human cases of bird flu linked to exposure at dairies in the county.
The deceased was the first of the three confirmed cases to require hospitalization and result in death. The other two confirmed cases experienced milder illness and did not require hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the virus was H5N1 and stated there are no known changes making the virus spread more easily between people or cause more severe illness.
Health officials maintain that the risk of avian influenza infection to the general public remains low. Human-to-human transmission of bird flu is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States. The CDC has recorded 72 human cases of bird flu across the country since 2024 and maintains there is no known person-to-person spread.
County officials continue to urge precautions for those working with or exposed to infected animals, including dairy workers who have close or prolonged contact with infected cattle.
