Overview
- The patient is an older adult from Grays Harbor County with underlying conditions who was hospitalized in early November with high fever, confusion and respiratory distress.
- Investigators say a mixed backyard flock with access by wild birds is the most likely source of exposure, and animal and environmental testing is ongoing.
- More than 100 contacts, including healthcare workers, have been monitored and some tested, with no additional H5N5 infections detected.
- Authorities report no evidence of human-to-human transmission and continue to advise precautions for people who work with birds and other animals.
- Scientists describe H5N5 as closely related to H5N1 and likely to behave similarly, while the CDC reports 71 U.S. human bird flu cases since 2024, including one death.