GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY, Wash. — A Grays Harbor County resident tested preliminarily positive for avian influenza — the first suspected human case of bird flu reported in Washington in 2025, according to state health officials. Confirmatory testing by the Washington State Public Health Laboratories is underway.

The patient, an older adult with underlying health conditions, developed a high fever, confusion and respiratory distress before being hospitalized in early November. They were first treated in Grays Harbor and Thurston counties and are now receiving care in King County.

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Health officials are working to determine how the person was exposed, including whether they had contact with wild or domestic birds. At

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