According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is the first US bird flu case linked to a backyard flock. A patient has been hospitalized with the first severe case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in the US. CDC confirmed the presence of the virus on December 13, 2024.
Genomic analysis of the H5N1 bird flu virus shows it belongs to the D1.1 genotype, linked to recent detections in US wild birds, poultry, and human cases in Canada and Washington.
This differs from the B3.13 genotype seen in dairy cows, some human cases, and poultry outbreaks. The CDC is conducting further sequencing and virus isolation from the sick patient.
