The Department of Health in the state of Washington announced on Friday that it had confirmed that a resident of Grays Harbor County had died from H5N5 Avian influenza virus infection; it had not been seen in humans previously. The death would be considered to be the first case of human infection from this particular virus.
In their statement, the department announced it would not disclose identifying data such as patient name, age, and gender to protect their privacy. The department did state that their patient was an elderly person who had several pre-existing medical conditions; these may have been contributing factors to their level of illness.
Despite such unprecedented events, officials from health authorities have reiterated that these developments do not represent a public health threat. “The risk to the general public remains low,” they declared, since there have been no additional infections reported among their close contacts and members of their community.
Public health officials have been tracking persons who have had contact with the patient and have not yet detected any indications of human-to-human transmission. The authorities again confirmed that there isn’t yet any reason to believe that this virus transmits from person to person.
The infection is thought to have come from the patient’s own backyard poultry. Avian influenza virus infections regularly circulate in wild and domestic bird populations. The infection can be transmitted by exposure to their saliva, mucus, or droppings.
Understanding the H5N5 Subtype
H5N5 is a type of bird flu virus which, despite being less frequently identified in human infections, has some characteristics in common with other H5 virus types. According to reports from health officials, this particular virus is not thought to be any more dangerous than H5N1, which caused several human infections in America over the past two years via direct exposure to poultry and dairy farms. The majority of these infections presented only mild symptoms.
The variation between H5N5 and H5N1 consists of differences in a particular protein from the virus, which helps determine how it leaves infected cells and how it replicates inside the body.
The first human cases of H5 avian influenza were reported in October 2024 in Washington State. Till date, no person-to-person transmission has been detected.
Health experts continue to encourage anyone who holds birds or engages in poultry services to observe proper hygiene and monitor their birds for symptoms of disease.
