The CDC confirmed H5N1 infection in the Washington state resident, who had exposure at a dairy with infected cattle. Local and state health officials are identifying and monitoring close contacts.
A Yakima County resident died on 1 November 2026, after severe illness from bird flu, county health officials said. The resident had underlying health conditions, had been hospitalized and became infected following exposure at a dairy with infected cattle.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the resident had H5N1, a type of bird-flu virus. The Associated Press said this was the first US bird-flu death in a year.
Two earlier US deaths have been tied to bird flu since 2024: an elderly Louisiana resident’s H5N1 death announced in January 2025 and a Washington state resident’s H5N5 death in November 2025. According to the CDC, more than 70 human infections had been reported in the US since the start of 2024, the November 2 report said.
The death follows detections in local cattle. Yakima County’s herd table lists 33 dairy herds testing positive, with confirmation dates from 8 October 2026 through 29 October 2026. Two herds were confirmed on 8 October. The county webpage was updated 1 November 2026.
County officials have linked 3 human infections to exposure at a dairy. The Yakima Health District is working with the Washington State Department of Health to identify people who had close contact with those infected and monitor them for symptoms.
A CDC spokesperson said on 2 November that analysis of the deceased resident’s virus found no genetic changes that would make it spread more easily or cause more severe illness. The agency says there is no known person-to-person spread and the risk to the general public remains low.
Yakima Health District guidance identifies dairy workers and others with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or contaminated environments as being at greater risk. The CDC explains that infected animals can contaminate their surroundings through secretions and other fluids, including milk. People can become infected when the virus enters their eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.
The Yakima Health District advises avoiding sick or dead animals and wearing protective equipment when handling them or working in their environment. It also advises avoiding raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products because they may contain the virus; pasteurization kills the virus in milk.
CDC guidance calls for daily symptom checks for 10 days after the last direct or close exposure to infected or suspected infected animals or their contaminated environment, even if protective equipment was used. Another exposure restarts the monitoring period.
The Yakima Health District advises dairy workers who develop symptoms after possible exposure to contact a healthcare provider or the district at (509) 480-3770. Symptoms can include fever or chills, cough, sore throat, eye redness or irritation, and difficulty breathing.
The CDC says fever may be absent. Exposed people who develop symptoms should immediately call their state or local health department, which may arrange testing, and stay home and limit contact with others until test results are known.
The mission documented Sabu’s wife Ikhetnefert’s previously unknown offering chapel and also reported mummy remains in their son Ptahshepses’s sarcophagus.
2 min
Officials target an uncrewed Earth-orbit test in early 2027, a lunar landing and takeoff test in 2028, and docking between uncrewed spacecraft near the Moon in 2029 before attempting the crewed landing.
2 min
The study of 37 nearby dwarf galaxies puts average retention at 11%, below model predictions, and researchers propose that galactic winds powered by massive stars and supernova explosions carry oxygen away.
3 min
