Overview
- An older Grays Harbor County resident with underlying conditions died after hospitalization for H5N5 avian influenza, state authorities said.
- UW Medicine identified the virus as H5N5 and the CDC confirmed the finding, marking the first documented human infection with this variant and the second U.S. death in the current outbreak period.
- Environmental testing at the patient’s property detected avian influenza in the backyard flock area, making exposure from household poultry or wild birds the most likely source.
- No close contacts have tested positive and health departments are conducting active monitoring of exposed individuals and environments.
- The CDC says the general risk remains low; the broader U.S. outbreak since 2022 has produced about 70 human cases, mostly mild and linked to animal exposure, and H5N5 differs from H5N1 by a protein involved in viral release.