1st bird flu death in the US reported in Louisiana

(LOUISIANA) — The first person has died of bird flu in the United States, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed on Monday.

The patient, who was exposed to non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds, was over age 65 and had underlying medical conditions, officials said.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the patient was experiencing the first case of severe bird flu in the U.S.

At the time, a spokesperson from the Louisiana Department of Health told ABC News the patient was experiencing severe respiratory illness related to bird flu infection and was in critical condition. The patient remains the only human case of bird flu confirmed in Louisiana.

The U.S. has seen an increase in human cases of bird flu, or avian influenza, since April, when the first human case was reported.

As of Jan. 3, there have been 66 human cases of bird flu reported in the U.S., according to CDC data.

Signs and symptoms of infection in humans often include sore throat, cough, fever, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle or body aches, fatigue and shortness of breath, the CDC says. Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

Infections can range from no symptoms or mild illness, such as flu-like symptoms, to more severe illness, such as pneumonia that could require hospitalizations, the CDC says.

Almost all confirmed cases have had direct contact with infected cattle or infected livestock. Aside from the case confirmed in the Louisiana patient, cases have been mild, and patients had all recovered after receiving antiviral medication, according to the CDC and state health officials.

One previous case in Missouri was hospitalized, but health officials pointed to other health conditions aside from bird flu infection involved in the patient’s admission to the hospital.

The Louisiana Department of Health and the CDC say there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission and the risk to the general public is low.

However, those who work with birds, poultry or cows — or have recreational exposure to them — are at higher risk.

The CDC recommends staying away from sick or dead wild birds, poultry and other animals and, if contact is unavoidable, using personal protective equipment.

The agency also suggests not touching surfaces or materials contaminated with saliva, mucous or animal feces from wild or domestic birds and animals confirmed or suspected to have bird flu as well as not consuming raw milk or raw milk products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a new federal order last month that raw milk samples nationwide will be collected and shared with the department in order to test for bird flu.

A few weeks later, the Food and Drug Administration announced that federal health officials had begun collecting samples of aged raw cow’s milk cheese across the U.S. to test for bird flu.