# Washington resident is third US bird flu death since 2024

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/third-person-dies-of-bird-flu-since-virus-started-jumping-to-livestock/
- Published: 2026-11-02T21:21:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T22:07:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/11/third-person-dies-of-bird-flu-since-virus-started-jumping-to-livestock/
- Topics: Americas, Art, Business, Culture, Health, Markets, Medicine, World

## Key points

- A Washington resident has died after exposure to bird flu at a dairy farm.
- It is the third US bird flu death since 2024.
- Officials say the risk to the public remains low.

## Summary

A Yakima County resident in Washington state has died after contracting bird flu following exposure at an infected dairy farm. It is the third human death in the US since H5 avian influenza began spreading from wild birds to dairy cattle in 2024; officials say the risk to the general public remains low.

The person had underlying health conditions and was hospitalised after becoming severely ill. Washington has reported three human cases, all in Yakima County, and 40 detections in dairy cows since 8 October, including 33 affected herds in the county. More than 70 human cases have been detected in the US since 2024, with no reported human-to-human transmission.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.