Washington state records the nation's third bird flu death since 2024

A Washington resident died of avian influenza, the first U.S. bird flu death of 2026, and this time the strain was the rarer H5N5.

The Associated Press reported on Nov. 2, 2026 that a person in Washington state died of complications from avian influenza. It is the first U.S. bird flu death this year and the third since the virus became a major public health concern in 2024. The first two deaths involved H5N1. This one involved H5N5, a rarer strain. The newsletter does not spell out how the person was exposed, so we can't confirm a cattle link.

For health and food security, each human case shows that animal-to-human spillover is still happening. It puts continued pressure on surveillance, on farm workers and on the food supply. Recent cases had mostly been milder than expected, which makes a death a reminder that the risk is not gone.

This is a brief newsletter summary that defers to AP and STAT, so the detail sits with them.

Source: STAT