First Human Death from Bird Flu Reported in the United States

A patient over the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions has died after being hospitalized in the United States. The death was caused by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the first such case in the country. A genetic analysis suggested that the virus had mutated inside the patient. The patient was hospitalized in December with severe respiratory symptoms after being exposed to a combination of wild birds. This is the first recorded death from bird flu in the US and there have been no other detected cases in the state. Across the US, a total of 66 people have been infected with the virus.