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Washington state resident dies from bird flu following exposure to infected cattle
Compiled Nov 2
What happened
A Yakima County, Washington resident died from complications of bird flu, the first such U.S. death in a year
The detail
The person had previous health conditions and was exposed to avian influenza at a dairy with infected cattle
The detail
The person was hospitalized before dying on Sunday
The detail
The CDC said the person was infected with H5N1
How it unfolded
early 2024: Health concerns escalated as bird flu infections spread among U.S. livestock · January 2025: First U.S. bird flu death announced, an elderly person in Louisiana with H5N1 · November 2025: A Washington state person died from H5N5 bird flu · Sunday: The Yakima County resident died from complications of H5N1 bird flu · Monday: CDC spokesperson said genetic analysis of the virus showed no concerning changes
By the numbers
33 dairy herds · 3 human infections · 70+ human infections · 1 year
Still unresolved
Yakima County officials did not release any additional details about the person who died