A Yakima County, Washington, resident was exposed to bird flu at a dairy farm with infected cattle. The resident later died on Sunday, Nov. 1, from complications of the illness, marking the country's first bird-flu-related death in a year.
Here's what to know
The resident had preexisting health conditions and was hospitalized before dying, Yakima County health officials said, according to FOX 13 Seattle.
No further details about the resident were made public by Yakima County officials.
More background
Two other U.S. deaths have been associated with bird flu, with a different version of the virus involved in each case. Both occurred after the disease emerged as a nationwide public health issue in 2024, FOX 13 Seattle reported.
The January 2025 announcement of the first fatality concerned an elderly Louisiana resident who had contracted H5N1.
The rarer H5N5 version caused the other death, which occurred in Washington state in November 2025.
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H5N1 links the Yakima County case to the earlier Louisiana death: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified it as the version that infected the Yakima County resident.
In total, Yakima County officials reported H5N1 infections in 33 dairy herds.
Where can I learn more?
The following stories cover more examples of animal-related health risks, including poultry-linked Salmonella, a fatal animal-virus infection in France, a deadly bat disease, hantavirus exposure, and rabies.
• Across the United States, a poultry-linked Salmonella outbreak reached 1,061 cases and claimed another life.
• In France, a previously animal-only virus infected a person for the first time, proving fatal.
• A deadly bat disease reached Montana's Glacier National Park after killing millions of bats.
• A Midwest homeowner vacuumed mouse droppings for years before learning about potentially fatal hantavirus exposure.
• In Maryland, a groundhog tested positive for rabies, prompting officials to warn of possible exposure.
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