The Washington State Department of Health has confirmed that an older adult in Grays Harbor County has died after contracting H5N5, a rare strain of avian influenza. This case is believed to be the first known human infection and death linked to H5N5 globally.
The man, who had underlying health conditions, was being treated for the virus after exposure connected to his backyard flock, which had contact with wild birds.
Despite the uniqueness of the case, state and federal health authorities emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight about the flu season. To schedule an interview with an expert, please contact Katelyn Deckelbaum, katelyn [dot] deckelbaum
gwu [dot] edu (katelyn[dot]deckelbaum[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Barbara Kowalcyk is the associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security within the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. For 20 years she has been a nationally recognized expert in food safety with training in epidemiology, public health informatics, risk science, regulatory decision-making, and public policy.
Janet Buffer, is the senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security within the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Jose Lucar is an associate professor of infectious diseases at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
David Diemert is the clinical director of the GW vaccine research unit and professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
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