A Yakima County resident died after severe illness linked to avian influenza, while the Yakima Health District reported a third confirmed human case in the county on Nov. 1.
The district said the resident who died had been hospitalized and had underlying health conditions after exposure at a dairy with infected cattle. It did not release the person's name, age or gender.
The new case involved a resident exposed at a Yakima County dairy where cattle were infected. The patient had not developed severe illness and did not need hospitalization. Health officials are tracing the new patient's contacts and checking people close to the deceased resident for symptoms.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture's table lists 39 Yakima County dairy herds with H5N1 confirmed through Oct. 30, including six recorded that day. A Yakima Health District update issued Oct. 31 listed 33 herds through Oct. 29; the counts reflect different reporting cutoffs. The state department's timeline starts with two county dairies on Oct. 8, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed H5N1 there.
Health Officer Dr. Dave Atteberry said, “The risk to the general public remains low.” The district says people with close or prolonged exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments face greater risk. It also says human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States.
The district plans to update its bird flu page again on Nov. 5.
