First Human Death From H5N5 Bird Flu Reported in Washington State: What You Need to Know

Nov 22, 2025 05:26 pm CST

Washington state reports the first human death from the rare H5N5 bird flu strain in an elderly individual with underlying health conditions. Health officials maintain that public risk remains low, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission. The virus appears no more threatening than the H5N1 strain that has caused mostly mild illnesses in agricultural workers across the US.