First-Ever Human Case of H5N5 Chicken Flu Present in Washington

Chicken flu hasn’t gone wherever, and it’s nonetheless sickening People. Well being officers in Washington have confirmed {that a} resident contracted a nasty bout of H5N5 avian influenza—the primary recognized case of its variety.

The Washington State Division of Well being announced the case late final week. The sufferer is an older grownup who was possible uncovered to the virus by way of contact with their yard chickens or wild birds. Although the variant could not have unfold past this case, the resident stays hospitalized, in response to well being officers.

“Public well being illness consultants haven’t recognized any elevated danger to the general public,” the well being division stated in its newest assertion released over the weekend.

First of its variety

Well being officers initially reported the case final Thursday, which concerned a resident dwelling in Grays Harbor County. The following day, they confirmed the variant as H5N5. Although H5N5 has been present in birds and different animals earlier than, that is the primary recognized report of human sickness from the variant.

The particular person developed a excessive fever, confusion, and respiratory misery and was hospitalized someday in early November. Apart from their older age, the particular person’s historical past of underlying well being circumstances could have contributed to the an infection’s severity. The particular person owns a combined yard flock of home chickens that had beforehand come into contact with wild birds, which possible served because the supply of publicity. However well being and wildlife officers are nonetheless working to unravel the precise chain of transmission.

The continuing hazard of hen flu

Whereas this could be the primary time H5N5 has jumped into people, hen flu generally has turn out to be a extra urgent risk in recent times.

In early 2024, well being officers announced the invention of H5N1 circumstances in cows on a number of dairy farms in Texas and Kansas. Since then, H5N1 has repeatedly contaminated dairy cows, different mammals, and typically individuals. There have been at the very least 71 human circumstances of H5N1 within the U.S., together with one loss of life. Simply this previous September, USDA officers reported one more outbreak of H5N1 at a dairy farm in Nebraska.

Although the dangers posed by H5N1 or different hen flu strains like H5N5 are low to most of the people for now, these outbreaks are nonetheless extremely regarding. The longer these flu viruses are capable of flow into in mammals like dairy cows, the larger the chances {that a} pressure will evolve to effectively unfold between people. If such a pressure may transmit simply from human to human whereas inflicting severe sickness, that might set the stage for the following huge pandemic.

This newest human case of H5N5 could be a useless finish. However finally, we’d not be so fortunate.