SEATTLE — A Grays Harbor County resident has tested preliminarily positive for avian influenza in the first human case recorded in Washington state this year.

The resident, an older adult with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized in early November with a high fever, confusion and respiratory distress, the state Department of Health said in a news release Thursday. They're currently receiving treatment at a King County hospital, health officials said.

Further testing to confirm the bird flu case is pending, Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, the state's health officer, said in a Thursday news briefing. Public health teams are also still working to determine the source of infection, he added.

The health department declined to share further information about the person's age or gender, citing patient privacy, but Kwan-Gett said the risk to the general public remains low.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, is a disease caused by influenza type A viruses, which naturally occur in wild aquatic birds globally, according to the state Department of Health. The viruses can infect other birds, and occasionally mammals, and can be deadly to domestic birds like chickens and turkeys.

The risk of bird flu typically increases in the fall and winter, as wild birds migrate and can carry the virus to commercial poultry farms and backyard flocks, Dr. Beth Lipton, the state public health veterinarian, said in the news briefing.

The season has unfortunately picked up," Lipton said.

So far this fall, the state has detected the virus in wild birds, a commercial poultry farm and a backyard flock, Lipton said. Since the start of the outbreak in 2022, more than 4.1 million birds across 21 counties have become infected in Washington.

"We're in a fly zone," added state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist. "Please limit your contacts as best as possible with wild birds (and) domestic animals, and certainly contact your health care providers if you're ill or have these contacts.

Bird flu rarely infects people and makes them sick; if it does, those with infections typically experience mild symptoms, health officials said. Most cases in people have occurred after they were exposed to sick or infected animals. Person-to-person transmission has not been documented in the U.S. to date.

In Washington, health officials counted about 14 confirmed and probable bird flu cases in people last year, all among those who were in direct contact with dead, sick poultry at a commercial farm and who experienced mild symptoms. About 70 people have tested positive for the virus throughout the country, including one person who died in Louisiana.

No cases have been detected in the state's livestock to date.

Public health experts say people who work with or have recreational contact with infected birds or cattle are at higher risk, and should wear personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks, eye protection and other outerwear, when interacting with animals.

People with backyard flocks should also avoid contact with any sick or dead birds, and report illness to the Washington state Department of Agriculture by calling 1-800-606-3056 or reporting online. Any sick or dead wildlife should be reported to the Washington state Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Health officials have also encouraged people to avoid eating raw or undercooked food, including raw milk, and to make sure they don't feed those products to pets.

Those who might be exposed to sick birds should also consider getting a seasonal flu vaccine, Kwan-Gett said. While flu shots don't prevent bird flu, they can help reduce the risk of becoming sick with both human and avian flu at the same time.

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