A Yakima County resident in Washington has died of bird flu after exposure to infected dairy cattle. It is the first US bird flu death of 2026.

The Yakima Health District said the person, who had underlying health conditions, died on Sunday, November 1, after being hospitalized with severe illness.

It is the third US death tied to bird flu since February 2024, when the virus first jumped into dairy cattle.

Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low. No human to human spread has been documented in the United States.

Two other Yakima County residents exposed to infected cattle had mild cases, one found on October 15 and one over the same weekend.

Washington confirmed its first infected dairy cattle on October 8. The outbreak has since reached 33 herds in Yakima County and one in Benton County.

The CDC said the person had H5N1. It found no genetic changes that would help the virus spread more easily or cause more severe illness.

Officials warn against drinking unpasteurized milk or eating unpasteurized dairy products. Pasteurized milk remains safe, they said.

Dairy workers are urged to watch for fever, cough, sore throat and eye redness, and to get tested quickly if symptoms appear.

Read the full report on the Washington bird flu death on Trends News Stories.