Washington resident infected with different strain of bird flu, health officials say - CBS News

On November 14, 2025, state health officials reported that a Washington resident had been hospitalized due to a confirmed infection with the H5N5 bird flu strain, marking the first known instance of this virus infecting a human. The individual has a mixed backyard flock that may have been exposed to wild birds, suggesting a potential source of the infection. Public health officials are currently investigating how the infection occurred. The case is notable as it is the first human bird flu infection reported in the U.S. since February, and the affected individual, an older adult with underlying health conditions, remains hospitalized. However, health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that the H5N5 strain does not appear to pose a greater risk to human health compared to the previously circulating H5N1 strain, known for causing a wave of mild illnesses among farm workers in recent years. The differences between H5N5 and H5N1 primarily involve protein characteristics that affect the virus's behavior and host preferences. Overall, health authorities reassure that although bird flu can be transmitted from infected animals to humans, the risk to public health from this case does not appear to be increased.