Washington resident infected with different strain of bird flu, health officials say

Question

This claim is true. In Washington, the first known case has been hospitalized with a new strain of bird flu. Outlets like ABC and USA Today echoed these same claims. It has been nearly nine months since there has been a bird flu case reported in a human. The individual infected had exposure to a backyard flock that also had exposure to wild animals. The health officials in Washington are in an ongoing investigation to trace the source of the new strain. It is unclear the condition of the person infected as they remain hospitalized. 

Washington State Health officials assured people that the new strain does not appear to be more infectious than other bird flu strains. At this time, the new strain does not seem to be any kind of outbreak or a risk to public safety. However, the strain has yet to be investigated by the CDC, and it is still unclear exactly what kind of birds it affects. 

Answer 1

In my research, I found that the first recorded case of Influenza A infection in humans happened during November of 2025, in Washington. It's still being investigated, but officials suspect it was from exposure to birds, either from their backyard domesticated birds, environment, or wild birds. However, I also found that it's not that easy for humans to get.

There were no primary sources that I could easily find.

Secondary Source 1: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/health-advisories/2025/11-25-influenza-a-h5n5#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20first%20known,their%20environment%2C%20or%20wild%20birds.

According to the Washington-based King County government website, the first human case of Influenza A (aka H5N5) was confirmed in Washington, with the individual unfortunately passing away just 8 days after getting diagnosed. This website listed out several potential factors that could increase your likelihood of getting exposed, as well as general information about theories of exposure and the order of events.

Secondary Source 2: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-human-dies-of-rare-h5n5-bird-flu-strain-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

According to Scientific American, the first recorded case of a human getting the H5N5 viral infection was the first death from bird flu in the U.S. since January. This article provided a ton of background context into what the bird flu pandemic situation has been up until this point, what this means for an average reader concerned, and why this might have affected this certain individual. As well, they also provide well-researched assurances that this new strain is not predicted to cause a world-ending pandemic, but that it is simply a variant from the H5N1 strain that has been popularly reported on.

Both of my sources are secondary, although I found many as equally reputable ones saying the same thing. This does not mean that they are free from bias, but both media sources are very transparent about their information. The first is a government-run website, and the second is a reputable news outlet that is very transparent about its processes and goals.

Overall, this claim seems to be true, based on the assertions from multiple sources. The only thing I would add is context, otherwise this claim could fearmonger a bit, spreading the fear that a new kind of bird flu is infecting humans left and right, when that's simply not the case.

Answer 2

Upon reviewing this claim, it checked out. The CBS News article uses reports that Washington State confirmed a human infection with H5N5, which is a different strain from the H5N1 variant that’s been in the news for months. 

CBS is generally a reliable outlet, and when I cross-checked the story, ABC News and USA Today were both reporting the same incident, including that it was the first human case of H5N5 in the U.S. and that the patient had exposure to a backyard flock that likely encountered infected wildlife. The consistency across multiple major outlets makes the credibility of the claim even stronger. I also checked Washington State’s Department of Health website, which issued a release confirming the case and explaining that the CDC is now analyzing the virus to understand how unusual this strain is.

Both CBS and ABC mention that the risk to the public remains low, and that this seems to be an isolated spillover event rather than evidence of community spread. The CDC’s investigation is ongoing, so details such as the patient’s condition and the type of bird species that are the most affected are still unclear as of now.

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-bird-flu-h5n5-strain-infection/ 

https://doh.wa.gov/newsroom

Answer 3

This claim is true,

First off the primary source used for this claim supports the claim. Like the fact, the CBS article is stating that a Washington resident recently got a new strain of H5N5 from a bird and was hosipilized and passed away. So the claim is accurate according to the source used and is not exaggerating from the source. As for the credibility of the primary source CBS is a well regarded and mainstream news source that is widely seen as trustworthy. As for a secondary source I did research and ABC news also did an article on this case, so this claim was reported on by multiple credible and widely well regarded news outlets. So overall because the claim is accurate to the primary source, has a reliable primary source and there are other credible sources (like ABC) that can back up the claim I would say the claim that A Washington resident  infected with a different strain of Bird Flu is true.

Comments

Always provide links to your sources. Thanks!

Answer 4

Apparently a Washington  resident recently got indicted with a rare strain of bird flu called H5N5. Health officials say this is the first known human case of this strain. The person was an older adult from Grays harbor County who has a backyard flocked with domestic birds that had been exposed to wild birds, which is probably how they get infected. The Washington state department of health and the CDC both say there’s no evidence that the virus spreads between people, so the overall risk to the public is still pretty low. Even though this is a new strain in humans it's not believed to be more dangerous than previous bird flu strains like H5N1. Officials also point out that older adults or people with preexisting health conditions are usually at higher risk for severe illness. So the news that a Washington resident got H5H5 is real, but for now it doesn't mean the flu is spreading or that everyone is at risk.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-bird-flu-h5n5-strain-infection/

Answer 5

This claim is true. According to CBS, a man from Washington state was hospitalized as the first known case of H5N5, a new variant of the bird flu, and later died. Reportedly, he had a flock of domestic poultry that could have caused the infection. Health officials say that there is no real danger at this time, as there have been no new cases since this man. There is no evidence that the illness can be transmitted between people. According to Newsweek, currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified 71 cases of bird flu in the country. We have seen a surge in cases among bird populations during November, which has been underreported due to the current federal administration scaling back disease surveillance amid the funding crisis and shutdown. Overall, this claim is true.

Sources:

https://www.newsweek.com/rare-bird-flu-strain-detected-in-washington-state-resident-11054243

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-resident-dies-rare-bird-flu-strain/

Answer 6

After reviewing my sources I have came to the conclusion that this statement is true. The post cited Cbs news as the primary source in which they stated that the first human case of this particular strain was found in a human. Cbs news is a reputable source being one of the biggest in The United States and dont have any bias and have reliability when it comes too health as their reports are rooted in goverment sources. For example in this case Cbs cited the Washington State Department of Health which is a goverment source who first reported this on November 14,2025 and confirmed that the strain was confirmed to be in a gray harbor resident in Washington State. The article by Reuters claims the same thing as well but claimed that the resident has now died as a result of containing this array of birds in his backyard which they published on November 22,2025. Reuters is a very reputable source as well worldwide for that matter and has no personal bias, where they hold themselves to a high standard "The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles". Another source by Kingcounty report on this relaying the same information and they cite the provider alerts from the Washington State Department of Health as well. All sources point back to the Washington State Department of Health and this is the state goverment public health agency meaning its an official public health authority of Washington State.