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BREAKING: The United States has recorded its first fatal case of H5N1 bird flu.

The death was reported by the Louisiana Department of Health. The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.

ldh.la.gov/news/H5N1-death

Please note that there still is no evidence of person-to-person transmission, which is why public health departments assess the *current* risk as low to the general public. People who work on poultry or dairy farms are most at risk.

Protective measures you can take include:
- Avoiding sick or dead animals
- Avoiding uncooked food product
- Wearing a well-fitting mask, gloves, and other PPE
- Getting your seasonal flu vaccination (to reduce the risk of coinfection)

Until recently, all cases of US bird flu have been mild. The first fatal case is a step in the wrong direction, and underscores the urgency for governments to do much more to contain the virus before it mutates into a form that can spread more widely and cause more harm.

@luckytran But we already know by the pandemic response that it won't happen. :(