First Human H5N5 Bird Flu Case Detected in Washington State: Public Health Officials Monitor Virus with Pandemic Potential

Nov 16, 2025 01:06 am CST

A Washington state resident has been hospitalized with the first known human case of H5N5 bird flu, prompting health officials to monitor contacts while maintaining the public risk remains low. Despite no human-to-human transmission documented in the US, experts warn the virus has "pandemic potential" as investigators work to determine how the elderly patient contracted the infection, likely from backyard poultry. This marks the 70th human avian influenza case in the current US outbreak that began in 2022.