With reports of the first human death from bird flu in the US, some Americans are feeling an uncomfortable flashback to the early days of Covid-19, when infectious disease experts were talking about a new virus that was sending people to the hospital with respiratory infections.

The death of a Louisiana resident who was over the age of 65 signals that future H5N1 infections are not guaranteed to be mild, health experts say

Explore the implications of the first human death from H5N1 bird flu in the US and what it means for public health.

The bird flu, also known as avian influenza and H5N1, was implicated in the first human death from the infectious disease on January 6. But still, no human-to-human transmission has been reported.

A person in the United States has died after contracting H5N1 bird flu, marking the country’s first death from the virus. The unidentified patient, who was over the age of 65 and suffered from underlying medical conditions, is believed to have contracted the virus following exposure to backyard flock and wild birds.

An expert said that monitoring has increased for US cattle but warned “big gaps” remain. Read more at straitstimes.com.

More should be done to control the spread of bird flu among animals to avoid more cases in humans, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Wednesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

In its announcement this week of the first human death from bird flu in the United States, health officials in Louisiana were quick to note that the patient was over age 65 and “reported to have underlying medical conditions.

Hundreds of Canadian geese have been found dead this winter in Owatonna, Albert Lea, Waseca and other southern Minnesota cities.