A Washington man died from complications tied to an H5N5 bird flu infection, the first recorded instance of a human contracting this avian influenza strain worldwide, state and federal health officials said Friday.

The Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) both confirmed that, although bird flu infections in humans remain rare, this case marks a significant development in flu surveillance in the United States and internationally.

Health authorities stated that nobody else exposed to the man has tested positive for bird flu; there is no indication of human-to-human transmission at this time, the state's department of health said in a press release .

Why It Matters

This death marked the first confirmed human infecti

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