BATON ROUGE: Louisiana: A Louisiana resident was hospitalized in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock, making him the first severe human case of bird flu in the U.S. this week.
California, the most populous state, declared an emergency over the H5N1 virus as it spread more widely in dairy herds and after it has infected dozens of farm workers this year.
Federal and state officials have struggled to manage a national outbreak of bird flu, which infected dairy cows for the first time in 2024. Some farmers have refused testing and containment efforts, making control harder.
In Louisiana, a patient over 65 with existing health issues developed severe breathing problems from the virus, which previously caused only mild symptoms like red eyes in infected dairy workers. The Louisiana Department of Health said the patient’s condition puts them at higher risk.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said bird flu remains a low risk for the general public. However, the CDC has confirmed 61 human cases since April, mainly among dairy farm workers and poultry handlers.
According to Demetre Daskalakis, head of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, the Louisiana case is the first linked to backyard poultry. The CDC explained that such severe cases are rare but not unexpected, as similar cases, including fatalities, have occurred in other countries in 2024 and earlier.
Tests show that the Louisiana patient was infected with a virus from the D1.1 genotype, which was recently found in wild birds, poultry, and human cases in Canada and Washington state. This is different from the B3.13 genotype found in dairy cows, other human cases, and some U.S. poultry outbreaks.
Since 2022, bird flu has spread to over 860 dairy farms in 16 states and killed 123 million poultry. California, the largest milk-producing state, has been hit especially hard, with 60 percent of its herds testing positive since August. Four Southern California farms reported infections on December 12, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. This declaration allows faster and more flexible containment efforts statewide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a national program to test bulk milk for bird flu. So far, 13 states, covering nearly half of the country’s milk supply, have joined the program.
