Health officials in Washington state have confirmed that a local resident has died after being infected with a rare bird flu strain previously seen only in animals — marking the second human death from bird flu in the U.S. this year.
The Washington Department of Health said the individual, described as an older adult with existing medical issues, had been hospitalized since early this month.
Tests from the University of Washington revealed the patient was infected with the H5N5 avian influenza strain, making this the first known case of this specific variant in a human anywhere in the world.
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