The Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday that a U.S. patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died.

The case in Louisiana is the first human death from bird flu in the U.S. during this current outbreak, but there was a death in Mexico back in May 2024 in a patient with no known exposure to farm animals. The case, much like the patient in Louisiana, was in a person with other underlying conditions, though it’s not clear what those may have been.

Authorities have confirmed the first human death in the United States caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1. The announcement was made by the Louisiana Department of Health on Monday,

A man in Louisiana has become the first person ever to die of H5N1 bird flu in the United States. The patient, a 65-year-old with underlying health conditions, tested positive for the virus in mid-December and was sent to hospital soon after.

The Department of Health and Human Services Jan. 3 announced it is awarding approximately $306 million to support the federal government’s H5N1 bird flu response.

Most human cases of bird flu in North America have been mild, a fact that’s underscored by a new study of the first 46 confirmed human H5N1 infections in the United States this year. But the case of an ill Canadian teen stands out because of its severity and because the source of exposure remains a mystery.

A U.S. patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died, the Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday, marking the country's first reported human death from the virus. The patient, who has not been identified,

The U.S. has recorded its first human death from bird flu, in a patient hospitalized in Louisiana. The case was considered the country’s first severe human H5N1 infection.