United States: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the third US hospitalization due to avian influenza, as reported by Wyoming’s health department on Friday. The patient, a woman, was admitted to a healthcare facility in neighboring Colorado after showing symptoms resembling those of the flu.
According to Wyoming’s health department, the patient had “flu-like symptoms” and underlying health conditions that could make her more susceptible to illness. It’s believed that she was likely exposed to the H5N1 virus through direct interaction with an infected poultry flock located at her residence, according to the reports by CBS News.
Dr. Alexia Harrist, Wyoming’s state health officer, shared in a statement that “Our team has followed up with individuals who had contact with the infected flock and the patient, and we will continue collaborating with both state and national health experts to carefully monitor the situation within Wyoming.”
Colorado’s health department spokesperson opted not to comment on the case, instead referring inquiries to Wyoming’s department, which is leading the investigation.
The patient resides in Platte County, Wyoming, where the health department confirmed that three local backyard poultry flocks were infected by the virus. The infected flocks were impacted by the B3.13 strain of the H5N1 virus, as confirmed by Wyoming state veterinarian Hallie Hasel. However, it remains uncertain whether the human patient in Colorado was also infected by the B3.13 strain.
Bird flu case with "flu-like symptoms" reported in Colorado, 1 person hospitalized
— Deborah (@Deborah07849071) February 15, 2025
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a third U.S. bird flu hospitalization, Wyoming's health department said Friday, after a woman was admitted to a healthcare facility in… pic.twitter.com/ybiFJVwhPH
A spokesperson for the CDC, which typically analyzes and sequences concerning bird flu cases, has yet to respond to requests for comments, as per CBS News.
Health experts had previously hypothesized that the B3.13 strain might pose a lesser risk to humans compared to other strains, such as the D1.1 strain. The latter caused a bird flu fatality in Louisiana last month, as well as a hospitalization in Canada last year.
The first US bird flu hospitalization was recorded in Missouri last year, involving the B3.13 strain, but health officials at the time suggested that the hospitalization might have been for unrelated reasons, with the patient incidentally testing positive for the virus.
This hospitalization follows closely behind reports of human bird flu cases in Nevada and Ohio. The patient in Nevada, however, did not require hospitalization and only exhibited mild symptoms. Ohio’s health department has yet to provide any updates on their case despite repeated inquiries.
Health and agricultural departments also announced a recall of raw pet food on Friday, which has been linked to the spread of the virus to cats in Oregon, as well as a second incident involving the D1.1 virus spilling over from birds to cattle in Arizona.
Prior to this case, the CDC had documented 68 confirmed human cases of bird flu, with most linked to direct contact with infected animals. However, three cases remain with unknown origins, according to CBS News.
The rise in bird flu cases coincides with a continuing surge of seasonal influenza, which has reached record levels in emergency rooms and hospitals nationwide, surpassing peaks seen during the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
Testing data suggests that the surge in flu cases is being driven by the usual seasonal strains of the virus, not by human-to-human transmission of the bird flu strain.
The CDC reported that seasonal influenza levels have reached some of the highest in years, marking the first “high severity” season declared by the agency since 2017.