The Washington State Department of Health has announced that H5N5, a bird flu strain that has never been detected in humans globally, led to the death of an older adult on Friday, adding, however, that risks to public health from the virus remained low.
The findings confirmed by the CDC suggested that the person had been infected with the H5N5 avian influenza virus, making the case the first recorded human infection with this variant globally, the department added.
The Grays Harbor County resident with underlying health conditions died after being hospitalized in King County since early November, the agency said, noting that the person had a backyard flock of various domestic birds exposed to the avian influenza virus.
“The risk to the public remains low. No other people involved have tested positive for avian influenza.”
The department advised those with potential exposure to domestic or wild birds to receive a seasonal flu shot so as to lower the risk of getting sick from both human and avian influenza viruses, which could lead to the emergence of a highly transmissible avian influenza virus.
The case marked the first human infection with bird flu in the U.S. since February.
The U.S. bird flu vaccine stockpile consists of products from GSK (GSK), Sanofi (SNY), and CSL (OTCQX:CSLLY). Vaccine developers targeting bird flu include Moderna (MRNA), Pfizer (PFE), and CureVac (CVAC).
CSL Limited (OTCQX:CSLLY) (OTCQX:CMXHF), GSK (GSK), Sanofi (SNY) (OTCPK:SNYNF) (GCVRZ), and AstraZeneca (AZN) (OTCPK:AZNCF) market seasonal flu shots in the U.S.