A man in the United States has reportedly become the first individual to succumb to a rare bird flu strain, though state health authorities assured on Friday that the risk to the general public remains minimal.

The individual, an elderly man with pre-existing health issues from Washington state, was diagnosed with the H5N5 strain of bird flu, marking the first known human case of this specific strain, as per the Washington State Department of Health’s announcement.

According to health officials, the patient was hospitalized in early November, displaying symptoms such as a high fever, confusion, and respiratory difficulties.

Residing in Grays Harbor County, around 78 miles (125 km) southwest of Seattle, the man had a backyard flock of domestic birds that had potential exposure to wild avian species, officials noted.

“The threat to the public is still considered low,” the state health officials emphasized in their statement. “No additional individuals have tested positive for avian influenza.”

Health authorities stated that they would continue to monitor those who had close contact with the patient, but reassured that “there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this virus.”

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement about the infection that said no information would suggest “the risk to public health has increased as a result of this case”.

H5N5 is not believed to be a greater threat to human health than the H5N1 virus behind a wave of 70 reported human infections in the US in 2024 and 2025. Most of those have been mild illnesses in workers on dairy and poultry farms.

The distinction between H5N5 and H5N1 lies in a protein involved in releasing the virus from an infected cell and promoting spread to surrounding cells.