Severe case of Bird Flu rise in The US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Wednesday that a patient in Louisiana has been hospitalised with a severe avian influenza infection, marking the first serious human case in the U.S.

This case brings the total number of avian flu infections in the country to 61 during the ongoing 2024 outbreak.

The CDC reported that the patient was exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. No additional details, including the patient's current condition, have been disclosed.

The CDC confirmed last Friday, that genetic sequencing identified the H5N1 virus as belonging to the D1.1 genotype.

This genotype has also been recently detected in wild birds and poultry across the U.S., as well as in human cases in Washington state and British Columbia, Canada.

Although some U.S. cases lack a clear link to infected animals, health officials maintain that there is currently insufficient evidence of human-to-human transmission.