Louisiana has recorded the first human death in the United States due to the H5N1 avian influenza virus

The Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday that an American patient hospitalized with the H5N1 bird flu virus had died, the first death in the country as a result of the outbreak of the virus that has infected dozens of people and millions of poultry and livestock.

Nearly 70 people in the United States have been infected with bird flu since April, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of them livestock workers who were exposed to sick chickens or dairy cattle.

The Louisiana patient, the first person in the country to be hospitalized with the virus, contracted bird flu after being exposed to a mixture of backyard chickens and wild birds, Louisiana health officials said. The patient was hospitalized on Dec. 18, 2024, state health officials said.

Officials said the patient was over 65 years old and had underlying medical conditions.

“While the current public health risk to the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cattle, or who are exposed to them for recreational purposes, are most at risk.” The department said In a statement.

The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.