Washington State Resident Dies From Bird Flu After Contact With Sick Cattle

A person in Washington state has died from bird flu after being exposed to infected cattle at a dairy farm in Yakima County. The patient had existing health problems and had been in the hospital before passing away. Health officials announced the death on Sunday, making it the first bird flu death in the United States in about a year.

This is the third time a person in the U.S. has died from bird flu since it became a major public health concern in 2024. The first death was announced in January 2025 and involved an elderly person in Louisiana who had a type of bird flu called H5N1. The second death happened in Washington state in November 2025 and was caused by a rarer type called H5N5.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the CDC, confirmed that the Yakima County patient was infected with H5N1. County officials said they did not share any more personal details about the person who died. Scientists at the CDC studied the virus from this patient and found no signs that it had changed to become easier to spread or cause worse illness.

Bird flu has been spreading among wild birds, farm birds, cows, and other animals for several years. The situation became more serious in early 2024 when the virus began spreading among livestock across the United States. The more the virus spreads in nature, the more chances people have of coming into contact with it.

In Yakima County alone, 33 dairy herds have recently tested positive for H5N1. Health officials have linked three human infections in the area to contact with dairy farms. The Yakima Health District is working with the state health department to find people who were in close contact with those infected individuals and watch them for any signs of illness.

The CDC reports that more than 70 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu since early 2024. However, there is no known case of the virus spreading from one person to another. Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low at this time.

Officials are urging people who work with birds or farm animals to take safety steps. These include wearing gloves, eye protection, and a mask when handling poultry or being around sick animals. People who work on farms are considered to be at a higher risk of exposure than the general public.