Washington State Reports Suspected Bird Flu Case, First Possible U.S. Infection in 9 Months

A Washington state resident has preliminarily tested positive for avian influenza, potentially marking the first human bird flu case recorded in the United States in nine months, authorities announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the Washington State Department of Health said the patient — an older adult with underlying health conditions — developed a high fever, confusion and respiratory distress before being hospitalized in early November. The individual, who lives in Grays Harbor County, is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility in King County.

No personal details, including the patient’s age or sex, were released.

State Public Health Laboratories are conducting confirmatory tests to verify the initial result. If confirmed, this would be Washington’s first human case of bird flu and the nation’s first since February.

Health officials have launched an investigation to determine how the patient became infected, including whether they had contact with wild or domestic birds. Contact tracing is also underway for anyone who may have been exposed.

Authorities emphasized that the infection does not pose a threat to the general public.

“The risk to the general public is very low, and we’ve never seen human-to-human transmission,” state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist said during a media briefing. “We don’t want to be the first, and we are taking every precaution to ensure we’re not missing anything.”

The U.S. has seen a rise in avian influenza infections among animals, including poultry, wild birds and several mammal species. In 2024, outbreaks spread to dairy herds in Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, where the first human case linked to infected cattle was later confirmed in a dairy worker.

Since then, at least 70 human infections have been reported in the country, mostly among people exposed to infected animals or involved in culling operations. While most cases have been mild — presenting symptoms like fever and red eyes — a few have been more severe. In January, an older patient with underlying conditions became the first recorded death from bird flu in the U.S.

The CDC maintains that there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission and that the overall risk remains low.