Washington State Reports First US Avian Influenza Death of 2026

A Yakima County, Washington, resident hospitalized with severe avian influenza after exposure to infected dairy cattle died on November 1, 2026, according to the Yakima Health District (YHD).¹ The individual had underlying health conditions and has not been publicly identified.² The death is the first from avian influenza reported in the US in 2026.¹

YHD also confirmed a third human case in the county, in a resident exposed to infected cattle at a Yakima County dairy. This person has mild symptoms and has not required hospitalization.¹ Health officials are monitoring contacts of the person who died to ensure no onward transmission occurred.¹

Washington confirmed its first detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in cattle on October 8, at two Yakima County dairies.² The outbreak expanded quickly to 33 infected herds in Yakima County. On October 26, the Benton-Franklin Health District reported infected cows at a Benton County dairy.² All 3 human cases in the state have occurred since mid-October, each linked to exposure to infected cows.¹

YHD first reported the fatal case as a severe hospitalization on October 31.¹ “Avian influenza can cause severe illness, particularly among people who have underlying health conditions,” Dave Atteberry, MD, health officer for YHD, said in a statement. “While this is a serious and heartbreaking outcome, the risk to the general public remains low.”²

Health officials also caution against consuming unpasteurized milk and dairy products from cows or goats, which can carry a risk of avian influenza.²

Third US Avian Influenza Death Follows Washington’s 2025 H5N5 Fatality

The Yakima case marks Washington’s second fatal avian influenza infection in less than a year. In November 2025, a Grays Harbor County resident died after infection with H5N5, the first human H5N5 case recorded worldwide, Contagion reported.³ The patient was an older adult with underlying conditions who had been hospitalized in King County since early November.³

That patient kept a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds, and state sampling detected avian influenza in the flock’s environment.³ No transmission to other people was identified.³

As of March 2026, the CDC had counted 71 human H5 cases and 2 deaths in the US since 2024. Of those cases, 41 involved exposure to dairy herds, 24 involved poultry farms and culling operations, 3 involved other animal exposures, and 3 had no identified source.⁴ The Yakima death brings the US total to 3.

At the time, cattle herds had been affected across 19 states, with 1,088 confirmed herd detections.⁴ In an August 2026 analysis for Contagion, Saskia V. Popescu, PhD, MPH, MA, CIC, warned of gaps in surveillance, worker protection, and pandemic preparedness as attention shifted away from H5N1. She cited the difficulty of reaching farmworkers, many of whom fear engaging with outside officials, along with cuts to federal response agencies.⁴

References

1. Washington reports first US bird flu death of 2026; health officials say risk to the public is low. Yahoo News. November 2, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/washington-reports-first-us-bird-140958687.html

2. One person dead as bird flu spreads in Yakima and Benton county dairies. The Chronicle. November 2, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.chronline.com/stories/one-person-dead-as-bird-flu-spreads-in-yakima-and-benton-county-dairies,411179

3. Patient with novel strain of avian influenza dies. Contagion. November 25, 2025. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.contagionlive.com/view/patient-with-novel-strain-of-avian-influenza-dies

4. Popescu SV. H5N1: have we forgotten about avian influenza? Contagion. August 1, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.contagionlive.com/view/h5n1-have-we-forgotten-about-avian-influenza-