A resident of Grays Harbor County, Washington, has preliminarily tested positive for bird flu, potentially marking the first human case in the United States in nine months. The Washington State Department of Health announced the case on Thursday. The patient, an older adult with pre-existing health conditions, was hospitalized in early November after experiencing symptoms such as high fever, confusion, and respiratory distress. They are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in King County.

Health officials are conducting confirmatory testing to verify the initial results. If confirmed, this case would be the first human infection reported in the U.S. since February. An investigation is underway to determine how the patient contracted the virus, including whether they had contact with wild or domestic birds. Public health officials are also reaching out to individuals who may have been in close contact with the patient.

State epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low. "Two things for the public really to understand about this is that the risk to the general public is very low and we've never had human-to-human transmission," he stated during a media briefing.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, has been present in bird populations for decades but has increasingly affected mammals in recent years. In early March 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a strain of bird flu that had sickened millions of birds across the country was also identified in several mammals. Shortly after, public health officials began investigating illnesses among older dairy cows in Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. The first human case in the U.S. was reported in a Texas dairy worker, leading to at least 70 confirmed human cases since then, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected cattle or poultry farms, with symptoms typically mild, including red eyes and fever. However, there have been instances of more severe symptoms, and in January, the first bird flu-related death was confirmed in an older patient with underlying health conditions.

The CDC has stated that there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus, and the overall risk to the public remains low. Despite the absence of human cases in recent months, bird flu infections have continued to occur in poultry and livestock. In the past month, nearly 70 poultry flocks in the U.S. have been found to have bird flu, affecting over 1.7 million birds. The last confirmed case in livestock was reported about a month ago in Idaho dairy cows.

As health officials continue to monitor the situation, they are working closely with local health departments and healthcare facilities to support the investigation and ensure public safety.