First ‘Severe’ Human Case of Bird Flu Found in U.S., CDC Confirms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the country’s first “severe” case of bird flu in humans.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported the state’s first human case of the bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI) in a resident who had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks.

On Dec. 18, the CDC called the Louisiana case the first severe case in the U.S. after the patient was hospitalized. The agency said it is still investigating the source of the infection.

"A sporadic case of severe H5N1 bird flu illness in a person is not unexpected; avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection has previously been associated with severe human illness in other countries during 2024 and prior years, including illness resulting in death," the CDC said in a press release. "This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low."

The CDC notes that this “severe” case in Louisiana serves as an example that in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure.

Related: What to Know About the Bird Flu amid the Current Outbreak

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The World Health Organization previously called the current outbreak a “significant public health concern.” In April, the agency confirmed the first person to die from this strain of bird flu in Mexico.

Additionally, a teenager in British Columbia, Canada, was in critical condition after contracting the first case of bird flu in the country, health officials announced in November.

British Columbia health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at the time that the patient developed “acute respiratory distress,” which sent them to critical care.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a “life-threatening” condition that happens when fluid begins to leak into the lung, preventing enough oxygen from getting into the body, according to the American Lung Association.

However, the World Health Organization does not currently list the bird flu outbreak as a global health emergency.

This is nowhere near Covid-levels of concern, Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, Critical Care and Pulmonology at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told PEOPLE. “There's no human-to-human transmission that really occurs. A very small, very tiny percentage of people are even at risk of getting infected.”

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