US Reports First Human Death from Rare Bird Flu Strain H5N5, CDC Says Risk is Low
The US has reported its first human death from a rare strain of bird flu, H5N5. The victim, an older adult with underlying health conditions in Washington state, had been hospitalized since early November with symptoms including high fever, confusion, and respiratory problems.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, the man's infection was linked to his backyard flock of domestic poultry that had come into contact with wild birds. Health officials have said that no other individuals have tested positive for avian influenza after coming in close contact with him.
While concerns over the risk of transmission between people are low, state health officials will continue to monitor anyone who came into contact with the man. This is due to the fact that there is currently no evidence of virus transmission between humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
H5N5 is considered not to be as dangerous to human health as H5N1, which has been linked to 70 reported human infections in the US over the past two years. Most cases of H5N1 have resulted in mild illnesses among farm workers.
The key difference between H5N5 and H5N1 lies in a protein that is involved in releasing the virus from infected cells and spreading it to surrounding cells. This distinction suggests that H5N5 is not significantly more deadly than its counterpart, at least according to current data.
The US has reported its first human death from a rare strain of bird flu, H5N5. The victim, an older adult with underlying health conditions in Washington state, had been hospitalized since early November with symptoms including high fever, confusion, and respiratory problems.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, the man's infection was linked to his backyard flock of domestic poultry that had come into contact with wild birds. Health officials have said that no other individuals have tested positive for avian influenza after coming in close contact with him.
While concerns over the risk of transmission between people are low, state health officials will continue to monitor anyone who came into contact with the man. This is due to the fact that there is currently no evidence of virus transmission between humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
H5N5 is considered not to be as dangerous to human health as H5N1, which has been linked to 70 reported human infections in the US over the past two years. Most cases of H5N1 have resulted in mild illnesses among farm workers.
The key difference between H5N5 and H5N1 lies in a protein that is involved in releasing the virus from infected cells and spreading it to surrounding cells. This distinction suggests that H5N5 is not significantly more deadly than its counterpart, at least according to current data.
so they're saying there's this super rare bird flu strain H5N5 and now they've got their first human death in the US 
but like, what are the chances of getting it if you had contact with a sick bird or your own backyard flock 
? I mean I'm not trying to be negative but if there's only one case and no other humans tested positive then isn't that just kinda weird 
CDC says the risk is low but still they're monitoring people who came into contact with the guy... how many people were around him, anyway? 
also what's up with H5N5 being different from H5N1? Are we really sure this new strain isn't more deadly just 'cause we haven't seen enough cases yet? 
and it's like... super rare 
h5n5 strain is considered less deadly than h5n1, but still gotta be careful 
especially with people having underlying health conditions 
. think its cool that scientists are all over this to figure out more about the virus 
and help prevent future outbreaks 
. can imagine if it was a lot more deadly tho 
would've been super scary 
. anyway, just keeping an eye on this one 
just heard about this new bird flu strain H5N5 and I'm low-key freaking out!!! 
like the US reported their first human death from it and it's in Washington state... that's pretty wild 
so yeah, they're monitoring people who came into contact with the victim, but I'm sure we'll be fine 
. I mean, H5N5 isn't even as bad as that other one H5N1... 70 reported human infections in two years is wild 
and it's mostly farm workers who get sick, not us regular people 
. so let's all just breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy our non-fowl play 
. It's a harsh reminder to take care of ourselves and those around us, especially when it comes to animal interactions 
. We can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the chances of transmission are minimal 
. Sending you all lots of love & positive energy 
An older adult, poor guy, just trying to live his best life and ends up getting infected with some weird strain of bird flu. And it's not like he even had a good excuse for having a backyard flock of chickens, like "I'm stressed" or "I need therapy"... nope, he just got sick 
! 
. And let's be real, bird flu is still super rare in humans, so we shouldn't freak out just yet... but I mean, it's always good to have a plan B (or C, or D) for all our avian-related worries 
. It's like, yeah we knew it was out there, but still can't believe someone passed away from it 
. But let's put things into perspective - the risk of transmission between people is low, so we don't have to freak out just yet 
. It's also worth noting that H5N5 isn't as deadly as H5N1, which has been a bigger problem for us in the past 
anyway so yeah the fact that there's a new strain of bird flu out there is pretty concerning... I mean we've had issues with H5N1 in the past and now this H5N5 thingy comes along? 
I'm all for being cautious, but it feels like we're always a step behind when it comes to these types of outbreaks. 
hope everyone's safe out there! just heard about this news & I'm thinking of all the people who care for those birds 
. Back in my day, we used to worry about SARS and HIV, but now it's avian flu? I remember gettin' vaccinated for the flu every year when I was a kid, and I never thought I'd be worried about gettin' it from birds. I guess times are changin', and now you gotta watch out for all sorts of weird stuff. Still, 70 reported human infections in two years? That's some crazy numbers, fam 
I'm glad they're monitorin' the situation and takin' precautions, but it's hard not to get a little anxious when you hear about folks dyin' from this stuff. Hope they find a way to keep us safe! 
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still gonna keep an eye on this tho 
. I mean, it's good they're keeping an eye on people who came into contact with him, but let's not freak out just yet, fam 
.
... I mean, who knew having a pet chicken could be so deadly? Not me, that's for sure 