GRAYS HARBOR, Wash. — Health officials announced that a Grays Harbor County resident has tested preliminarily positive for avian influenza, potentially marking Washington’s first human case of bird flu this year. Confirmatory test results are still pending.

Investigators are working to determine how the individual may have been exposed, including whether contact with wild or domestic birds played a role. The patient—an older adult with underlying health conditions—developed a high fever, confusion, and respiratory distress and was hospitalized in early November. They are now receiving treatment in King County after previously being treated in Thurston and Grays Harbor counties.

At this time, public health experts have found no evidence of risk to the general public . The Washington Sta

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