A patient in Washington state has become the first known person to die from the rare H5N5 strain of bird flu, US health officials have confirmed, while stressing that the risk to the wider public remains low.
The individual, an older adult with underlying health conditions from Grays Harbor County, had been hospitalized since early November after developing a high fever, confusion and respiratory symptoms. State officials said the person’s backyard poultry flock had been exposed to wild birds, which is believed to be the source of infection.
The Washington State Department of Health said no other close contacts have tested positive and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Authorities will continue monitoring those who may have had contact with the patient.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month that there was no indication this case increased the overall public health risk. Officials added that H5N5 is not currently considered more dangerous to humans than the H5N1 strain, which has caused around 70 mostly mild human infections in the US during 2024 and 2025, primarily among farm workers.
Health experts noted that H5N5 and H5N1 differ in a key viral protein that affects how the virus spreads between cells.
