This week, the United States reported its first human death from H5N1 avian influenza. The case involved an elderly patient from Louisiana.
In Canada, a teenager from British Columbia has become the country’s first human case of H5N1. The patient is slowly recovering after a prolonged stay in intensive care.
Globally, as of January 8, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded 939 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection since 2003, with 464 fatalities, resulting in an approximate case fatality rate (CFR) of 49%.
H5N1, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has been widely circulating in wild birds and domestic poultry. The virus has also spread to dairy herds and several other mammal species. In the United States, H5N1 outbreaks have been confirmed in poultry flocks across all 50 states, impacting over 133 million birds. Additionally, 919 dairy herds in 16 states have been affected.
In Maricopa County, Arizona, the H5N1 virus has been detected in wastewater samples from Phoenix, Surprise, and Tempe—the only municipalities in the county currently testing for the virus.
Despite these developments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to rate the public health risk of H5N1 as low, as there has been no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.
