Bird Flu: First Death Recorded in the United States

The first death from bird flu in the United States has been recorded, in a person in Louisiana who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms.

State health officials announced the death Monday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was the nation's first death from bird flu.

Health officials said the person who died was over 65 years old, had pre-existing health conditions and had been exposed to sick and dead birds. They said genetic analysis showed the bird flu virus had mutated inside the patient's body, which may have led to the more severe illness.

No further details about the deceased person were disclosed.

Since March, there have been 66 confirmed cases of bird flu in the United States, but previous illnesses have been mild and mostly detected among farm workers exposed to sick birds or cattle.

Since 2003, more than 950 cases of bird flu have been confirmed worldwide, and more than 460 of those people have died, according to the World Health Organization.

(Associated Press)