Yakima County resident dies of bird flu after exposure to infected dairy cattle (Nov. 2)
Updated 6:30 a.m. PT Nov. 2. The Yakima Health District says it will next update its bird flu case page Monday at 2 p.m.
Quick Read
A Yakima County resident who was hospitalized after catching bird flu at a dairy with infected cattle died Sunday, Nov. 1, the Yakima Health District said.
The district also confirmed a third human case in the county, a dairy-exposed resident who has not been hospitalized.
Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low and person-to-person spread has never been documented in the United States.
Oregon has not detected bird flu in its dairy cattle, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
YAKIMA, Wash. - A Yakima County resident who contracted avian influenza, or bird flu, after exposure at a dairy with infected cattle has died, the Yakima Health District said in a news release Sunday, Nov. 1.
What officials said
The person had been hospitalized with severe illness and had underlying health conditions, the health district said. Out of respect for the family's privacy, the district is not releasing the person's name, gender or age.
In the same release, the district reported a third confirmed human case of bird flu in a Yakima County resident who was exposed to infected cattle at a county dairy. That person has not had severe illness or been hospitalized. Officials are monitoring close contacts of the person who died for symptoms and are working to identify and contact people who were close to the newest case, the district said.
"The risk of avian influenza infection to the general public remains low," the district said. People at greater risk include dairy workers and others with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. Transmission between humans "is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States," according to the release.
How the outbreak grew
The Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed the state's first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cattle at two Yakima County dairies on Oct. 8. The first human case tied to the cattle outbreak was reported Oct. 15, according to a Washington State Department of Health alert.
State agriculture officials confirmed an infected herd in Benton County on Oct. 26, and that dairy is under quarantine. Yakima County now has 33 infected herds, according to state agriculture figures posted by the Yakima Health District and reported by the Tri-City Herald.
Pasteurized milk products remain safe, and milk shortages are not expected, WSDA said. Health officials warn that raw milk and other raw dairy products are unsafe because infected cows can shed the virus in their milk.
What it means for Oregon
Bird flu has not been detected in Oregon dairy cattle, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Oregon tests milk for the virus and requires import permits, recent veterinary inspections and, for lactating cows, a negative milk test before cattle from affected states can enter the state, the department says.
Dairy workers in Yakima County who develop symptoms after possible exposure should contact a health care provider or the Yakima Health District at (509) 480-3770, the district said.
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