The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a patient with a severe form of the H5N1 bird flu has been hospitalized in Louisiana. This is the first officially confirmed case of this flu in the US, Reuters and AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
American experts indicate that they do not expect widespread cases of severe H5N1 flu among people, as observed in other countries in 2024 and earlier, including with fatal outcomes. Experts' assessment of the risk remains low.
According to partial genetic data from the infected person, the virus belongs to the D1.1 genotype, which was recently found in wild and domestic poultry in the United States and in newly identified human cases in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state. This genotype is different from the B3.13 genotype, which has been found in dairy cows, humans, and in some outbreaks involving domestic poultry in the country, the CDC said.
A total of 61 human cases of H5 avian influenza have been reported in the United States since April. The Louisiana case is the first to be linked to domestic, non-commercial poultry.