Health officials have confirmed the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States, marking a pivotal moment in monitoring efforts for the virus.
The patient, a resident of southwestern Louisiana, was hospitalized after exposure to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock, according to a Dec. 18 statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Besides being the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States, it is also the first infection linked to exposure to a backyard flock.
The Louisiana Department of Health initially identified the case as a presumptive positive on Dec. 13. The CDC has since confirmed that the virus belongs to the D1.1 genotype, recently found in wild birds and poultry in the United States and in human cases in Canada….