Yakima County resident dies from bird flu linked to infected cattle

A resident of Yakima County in Washington state died on Sunday after contracting avian influenza.

Local health officials said the individual was hospitalized with severe illness following exposure to infected cattle at a local dairy. The district has not released the person's identity but noted they had underlying health conditions.

This is the first confirmed death from bird flu complications in the United States for the year. The Yakima Health District expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased in a public statement.

In the same update, officials announced a third confirmed human case of bird flu in the county. This newest case involved an individual exposed to infected dairy cattle. Unlike the fatal case, this person has not experienced severe illness or required hospitalization.

Since early October, thirty-three dairy herds in Yakima County have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The district is working with the Washington State Department of Health to monitor all human cases in the area.

Public health partners are now identifying and contacting close contacts of the newly confirmed cases to monitor for symptoms. County officials emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low. They stated that those at greater risk include dairy workers and others with prolonged contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.

Officials noted that human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has never been documented in the US. The CDC has recorded seventy-two human cases of bird flu nationwide since 2024. The agency maintains that there is no known person-to-person spread and that the general public risk stays low.