Avian influenza (H5N1) continues to generate warnings across the country.

On December 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first serious case of bird flu in a human.

The patient, who lives in southwest Louisiana, is currently hospitalized, according to a release from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH).

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The infected person is known to have been exposed to sick and dead birds who are “suspected of having been infected”, specifies the same source.

LDH is working with the CDC on genomic testing of the virus infecting the hospitalized patient. Fox News Digital has contacted the department for comment.

On December 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first serious case of avian flu in a human. (iStock)

There have been a total of 61 human cases nationwide since April 2024.

No human-to-human transmission was reported, leading the CDC to maintain its position that the risk to the public is low.

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Despite the low risk, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to bird flu on Wednesday.

The statement follows an epidemic of the virus among dairy cows on Southern California farms, according to the press release posted on the governor’s website.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday due to bird flu.
(Mario Tama)

“Building on California’s testing and surveillance system – the largest in the nation – we are committed to further protecting public healthsupporting our agriculture industry and ensuring Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information,” he continued.

“While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

Doctors weigh risk of bird flu

Sam Scarpino, PhD, director of AI and life sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said the “tragic case” in Louisiana is evidence of the “widespread nature” of H5N1 in the United States.

“It also reinforces the very serious situation that we face,” he told Fox News Digital.

“We need to take more decisive action to control the spread of H5N1 in animal populations.”

“We need to take more decisive action to control the spread of H5N1 in animal populations. Until then, we will continue to see cases of human transmission, and some of them will unfortunately be serious.”

Dr. Marc Siegelclinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, stressed that this serious case represents only one example of an infection and is not necessarily alarming.

No human-to-human transmissions have been reported, leading the CDC to maintain its position that the risk to the public is low. (iStock)

“We should know more about the patient’s particular medical details,” he told Fox News Digital. “We cannot conclude (from one case) that the situation is getting worse in humans.”

Previous versions of bird flu have had a 50% human mortality rate, Siegel noted, but the 61 human cases in the United States this year have been “very mild.”

“That’s actually a good sign, that the virus is mutating away from gravity, because traditionally H5N1 makes humans very sick,” he told Fox News Digital.

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According to the doctor, the most critical thing to watch out for is whether bird flu will start to spread from human to human.

“This is what concerns us the most: that this does not enter into the upper respiratory tract among humans,” Siegel said.

“Avian flu is a group of influenza viruses that circulate primarily among bird populations,” an expert told Fox News Digital. “However, flu viruses are also known to jump between species, and avian flu has done this many times throughout history.” (Photo by Uli Deck/photo alliance via Getty Images)

“That hasn’t been the case so far, and that’s because it would require some mutations – at least one. We’re following that, but probably not closely enough.”

The vast majority of recent human cases have resulted from direct contact with animals, he said, “but this is now spreading to cattle and milk, which is worrying a lot of people, including me.”

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Rebecca C. Christofferson, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at Louisiana State University, commented to Fox News Digital about the potential for a pandemic.

“No one wants another pandemic.”

“Avian flu is a group of flu virus that circulate primarily among bird populations,” she told Fox News Digital. “However, flu viruses are also known to jump between species, and avian flu does this. has done many times in history.”

A researcher wears a protective suit while collecting wildlife samples where the H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in the Chilean Antarctic territory of Antarctica. (Reuters/Chilean Antarctic Institute)

“The more the virus enters mammals, and then the more it moves from mammal to mammal, the more fear there is that it will adapt to mammals and spread more easily between them, and then spread to humans,” Christofferson added .

“No one wants another pandemic.”

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The good news, Cristofferson said, is that it’s easy to protect yourself against bird flu.

“If you must handle birds or animals suspected of being sick (or be around sick people), wearing gloves and masks and washing your hands will protect you as it does with other respiratory viruses .”