Preliminary case of bird flu in Washington state would be U.S.'s first
in 9 months
[November 14, 2025]
Health officials in Washington state say they have identified the
nation's first human case of bird flu since February, pending
confirmatory testing.
A Grays Harbor County, Washington, resident preliminarily tested
positive for the infection, the Washington State Department of Health
said Thursday. Health officials say they're still investigating the
source of the infection, including contact with wild or domestic birds.
The patient is an older adult with underlying health conditions, state
health officials said. They developed a high fever, confusion, and
respiratory distress and were hospitalized in early November. The
person's treatment is ongoing.
There have been 26 human infections of bird flu confirmed so far this
year around the world through Aug. 4, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Most of them, 23, were found outside the
U.S., and 11 people died. The nine-month gap in new cases in the U.S.
has stumped health experts tracking the virus' spread.
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 In 2024 and early 2025, infections
were reported in 70 people in the U.S. — most of them workers on
dairy and poultry farms. One person died, but most of the infected
people had mild illnesses.
While the U.S. hadn’t seen a human infection in
months, bird flu cases have been happening recently in poultry
flocks and livestock.
In the past month, nearly 70 U.S. poultry flocks — either commercial
or backyard — were found to have bird flu infections, with more than
1.7 million birds affected, according to the U.S. Agriculture
Department. The last confirmed livestock detection was about a month
ago in Idaho dairy cows, according to USDA.
The CDC characterizes the risk to the general public as low,
although it is higher for people who work with cattle and poultry or
who are in contact with wild birds.
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