Yakima health district confirms third human bird flu case after dairy exposure

Three confirmed Yakima County cases; 33 dairy herds positive since early October

The Yakima health district announced in a Sunday statement that Yakima County has recorded a third confirmed human case of bird flu. The person was “exposed to infected dairy cattle at a Yakima county dairy,” and the district said the person has not experienced severe illness or required hospitalization.

Officials said they are working with public health partners to identify and contact any individuals “who may have been in close contact with the person to monitor for symptoms.”

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show 72 human cases of bird flu across the country since 2024. The CDC has maintained that there is no known person-to-person spread and that the risk to the general public remains low.

The Yakima health district, in coordination with the Washington state department of health, is monitoring human cases of bird flu in Yakima County and has so far recorded three confirmed human cases in the county.

Since early October, officials in Yakima County have reported that 33 dairy herds have tested positive for “highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

County officials have stressed that “the risk of avian influenza infection to the general public remains low” and that “people at greater risk include dairy workers and others who have close or prolonged contact with infected animals or environments contaminated with the virus.”

Officials said human-to-human transmission of bird flu is “extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States.”

Local health officials said on Sunday that a Washington state resident had been exposed to avian influenza, also known as bird flu, at a dairy with infected cattle in Yakima County and was subsequently hospitalized with severe illness and died on Sunday, according to a news release. The person’s identity had not been released, and health officials said the individual had underlying health conditions.

According to the Associated Press, the resident was the first person in the United States to die from complications from bird flu this year. The CDC announced the first death in the US due to complications from bird flu in January 2025.

The Yakima health district offered its condolences in a statement, saying, “The Yakima health district offers its heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”