Overview
- Testing by the UW Medicine Clinical Virology Lab identified H5N5 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the result.
- Environmental sampling around the patient’s backyard flock detected avian influenza, pointing to likely animal-to-human spillover.
- Authorities report no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and people who had contact with the patient or the flock are being monitored.
- Officials note this is the second U.S. human bird‑flu death in 2025, with more than 70 human bird‑flu cases recorded this year.
- The patient was an older adult with underlying conditions from Grays Harbor County who had been hospitalized in King County since early November, and health agencies advise PPE around birds and seasonal flu vaccination to reduce co-infection risks.