Bird flu hasn’t gone anywhere, and it’s still sickening Americans. Health officials in Washington have confirmed that a resident contracted a nasty bout of H5N5 avian influenza—the first known case of its kind.

The Washington State Department of Health announced the case late last week. The victim is an older adult who was likely exposed to the virus through contact with their backyard chickens or wild birds. Though the variant may not have spread beyond this case, the resident remains hospitalized, according to health officials.

“Public health disease experts have not identified any increased risk to the public,” the health department said in its latest statement released over the weekend.

First of its kind

Health officials initially reported the case last Thursday, which involved

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