With reports of the first human death from bird flu in the US, some Americans are feeling an uncomfortable flashback to the early days of Covid-19, when infectious disease experts were talking about a new virus that was sending people to the hospital with respiratory infections.

The death of a Louisiana resident who was over the age of 65 signals that future H5N1 infections are not guaranteed to be mild, health experts say

The CDC confirmed the first US-based severe human case of H5N1 bird flu in Louisiana in December. The Louisiana Department of Health reported Monday that the patient had died. The LDH revealed that the patient was over age 65,

The first human death from H5N1 in the United States is an event of historical significance, laying bare the destructive policies of the ruling class to the public’s health.

The bird flu, also known as avian influenza and H5N1, was implicated in the first human death from the infectious disease on January 6. But still, no human-to-human transmission has been reported.

Explore the implications of the first human death from H5N1 bird flu in the US and what it means for public health.

Outside the United States, more than 950 cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported to the World Health Organization; about half of those have resulted in death, the CDC noted.

An expert said that monitoring has increased for US cattle but warned “big gaps” remain. Read more at straitstimes.com.

More should be done to control the spread of bird flu among animals to avoid more cases in humans, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Wednesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

In its announcement this week of the first human death from bird flu in the United States, health officials in Louisiana were quick to note that the patient was over age 65 and “reported to have underlying medical conditions.