Louisiana Reports Its 1st Probable Bird Flu Case Among Humans

Sixty instances of confirmed human infections have been reported nationwide, with California accounting for more than half the cases.

Chickens gather around a feeder at a farm in a file photo. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Louisiana has detected the state’s “first presumptive positive human case” of bird flu infection and advises citizens to avoid contact with infected animals.

The potentially flu-infected individual “is a resident of southwestern Louisiana and is currently hospitalized,” said a Dec. 13 statement from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). The agency is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case.