OLYMPIA, Wash. – A Grays Harbor County resident has died from complications related to H5N5 avian influenza, as confirmed by the Washington State Department of Health. The individual was an older adult with underlying health conditions and had been hospitalized in King County since early November.

Testing conducted by the UW Medicine Clinical Virology Lab identified the virus as H5N5. This marks the first recorded infection of this variant in a person globally, confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite this case, the risk to the public remains low. Public health officials are monitoring those who had close contact with the patient to ensure there is no human-to-human transmission. There is no evidence of the virus spreading between people.

The individual had a

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