Yakima County dairy worker dies after bird flu exposure

Local health officials in Yakima county confirmed the death of a Washington state resident on Sunday. The individual had been hospitalized with a severe illness following exposure to avian influenza at a local dairy farm.

The deceased, whose identity has not been released, worked at a dairy where cattle tested positive for the virus. Health records indicate the person had underlying health conditions prior to contracting the illness.

This marks the first human death in the United States attributed to bird flu complications this year. The death follows a rise in cases within the region since early October. Officials report that 33 dairy herds in the county have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza during that period.

The Yakima health district, working with the state department of health, has identified three total confirmed human cases in the county. The third case involves an individual exposed to infected cattle who has not required hospitalization and is not currently experiencing severe symptoms.

Public health teams are actively tracing contacts of the deceased to monitor for symptoms. They are reaching out to individuals who had close proximity to the patient during the exposure window.

County officials maintain that the risk to the general public remains low. They identify dairy workers and those with prolonged contact with infected animals as the highest risk group. Human-to-human transmission is described as extremely rare and has not been documented in the US.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked 72 human cases of bird flu nationwide since 2024. The agency continues to report no known person-to-person spread. The previous US death from bird flu complications was announced in January 2025.