First US Human Death from H5N5 Bird Flu Reported as Livestock Outbreaks Surge Across America

A Washington state resident, an older adult with underlying health conditions, has died from a rare H5N5 bird flu strain, marking the first U.S. human case since February and the first of this type ever reported in humans, according to CBS News health officials. This comes amid ongoing H5N1 outbreaks ravaging U.S. livestock, with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirming avian flu in five Idaho dairy herds this week, the first cattle detections since December 2025 in Wisconsin, CIDRAP reports. Over the past 30 days, 41 outbreaks hit domestic flocks, killing 1.6 million birds across 27 commercial and 14 backyard sites.

In the last 24 hours, no new human bird flu cases were reported in the U.S. or globally, per CDC's weekly surveillance and health monitoring updates, with H5N1 remaining stable and no person-to-person transmission identified. Poultry losses continue, including new cases in South Dakota turkey facilities affecting 60,000 birds, one Arkansas broiler site with 191,200 birds, a Georgia backyard flock in Pierce County, and spreading threats in Indiana, as noted by AgWeb and Farm Progress.

Policy shifts dominate headlines: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $766 million in Moderna funding for mRNA bird flu vaccines, calling off $500 million in related projects amid warnings that vaccines could turn birds into mutant factories, CBS News details. Over 100 federal bird flu tracking scientists, including vaccine and food safety experts, were laid off, alongside FDA veterinary lab cuts, raising alarms as the virus hits dairy herds and drives up egg prices ahead of Easter.

Mexican authorities reported a 3-year-old girl's death from bird flu, while a Canadian ostrich farm lost its Supreme Court battle against culling. Experts urge vigilance, with research probing virus mutations and air monitoring for surges.

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