Bird flu fatality: What doctors should know amid rising public concern
Key Takeaways
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“The more cases that occur in humans … a certain percentage of these are likely to be severe and can result in severe illness and maybe even fatalities.” -Dean Blumberg, MD
“Because human populations have no experience with [avian influenza strains], should a pandemic occur, then of course there's going to be a lot of illness—and severe illness.” -William Schaffner, MD
A person from Louisiana has died from avian influenza, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the risk to the public is low.[][]
Sixty-six people have been infected across 10 states.[] The person who died in Louisiana was over the age of 65 and reportedly had underlying medical conditions.[]
Experts say that, so far, cases of avian influenza seem to be mild.
“Historically, bird flu, when it [has] occurred in humans, has been quite severe, and the case fatality rates have been 50% or greater. With this current strain, it appears to be more mild, and there have been very few severe cases. In fact, many of these cases have been distinguished by more atypical influenza symptoms, such as conjunctivitis. But the more cases that occur in humans … a certain percentage of these are likely to be severe and can result in severe illness and maybe even fatalities,” Dean Blumberg, MD, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Health, tells MDLinx.
“Most cases are relatively mild and don't have as many lower respiratory tract symptoms as may occur with human influenza. They often have conjunctivitis, [and] they usually get better within a few days,” Dr. Blumberg adds.
“Fortunately, the strains that have been tested so far appear to be sensitive to our standard antiviral therapy, so we do have treatments available.” -Dean Blumberg, MD
How patients may present with bird flu
The CDC suggests that patients with acute upper or lower respiratory tract infections, conjunctivitis, complications of acute respiratory illness without an identified cause, or with relevant exposure history should be tested for avian influenza.[]
The agency says that clinicians should also be aware that gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea are often reported with H5N1 infection.
Avian influenza symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Those with mild illness may experience a sore throat, cough, conjunctivitis, eye redness, fever, fatigue, rhinorrhea, headache, myalgia, and arthralgia.
Those with moderate to severe illness may also experience difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, seizures, and an altered mental state.
Complications can include pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis, meningoencephalitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and respiratory and kidney failure.
We just had our first bird flu death in the USA. This is literally the last thing you should go OUT of your way to do. This looks fun and she’s probably having a blast but this is NOT the time to be doing shit like this LMFAO? https://t.co/mXtPwjDlGs
— Dr. Raven the Science Maven (@ravenscimaven) January 7, 2025
Could a bird flu pandemic occur?
The 2023–2024 influenza season was classified by the CDC as moderately severe across all age groups.[]Between October 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, an estimated 40 million people were sick with influenza. 470,000 people were hospitalized, and 28,000 died from influenza-related complications.
Currently, one death has occurred from the avian influenza outbreak, and there has yet to be confirmed any human-to-human transmission of the virus.[][]
If human-to-human transmission does occur, the likelihood of severe illness is greater, according to experts.
“Because human populations have no experience with [avian influenza strains], should a pandemic occur, then of course there's going to be a lot of illness—and severe illness,” William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, tells MDLinx.
“It is a matter of concern—I should say, not immediate concern for the average person, but it's certainly a matter of concern for [us] in public health and infectious diseases, because we're having to watch these bird flu viruses as they occur to see whether they acquire the genetic capacity to spread readily from person-to-person. Fortunately, these viruses have not yet been able to do that. But it is a concerning prospect,” Dr. Schaffner says.