Louisiana reports first bird flu-related human death in US

The death was reported by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). The patient, who was not identified, was over 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions, the agency said. 

"The Department expresses its deepest condolences to the patient's family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved one."

"Due to patient confidentiality and respect for the family, this will be the final update about the patient."

The CDC analyzed samples of the H5N1 virus that were collected from the patient, comparing its genomic sequences to those of infected dairy cows, wild birds, poultry and other animals, the agency stated.

"The analysis identified low frequency mutations in the hemagglutinin gene of a sample sequenced from the patient, which were not found in virus sequences from poultry samples collected on the patient's property, suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection," the CDC said.

Both the CDC and the LDH maintain that risk to the general public remains low.

Officials did caution, however, that those who come in contact with birds, poultry or cows are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

As of Friday, there were 66 confirmed human cases of bird flu, including the Louisiana case, according to the CDC. Of those, 37 were in California alone, 11 in Washington and 10 in Colorado. 

Around 40 of the cases were related to exposure to cattle herds.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDC.