First H5N5 Bird Flu Death in Washington

A United States — Washington (state) man, an older adult with underlying health conditions, is believed to be the first human to die from the H5N5 bird flu strain. He had a backyard flock of domestic poultry exposed to wild birds. Health officials from United States — Washington (state) and the United States — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that the risk to the public remains low, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission. This event marks the first human case of avian influenza in the United States in nine months and the first global infection by the H5N5 strain. While H5N5 is not considered a greater threat than the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 virus, which has caused 70 human infections in the United States in 2024 and 2025, scientists like Richard Webby are closely monitoring the situation.