Â鶹ŮÓÅ

A Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with severe bird flu has died, the first such fatality in the United States, state health officials reported on Monday. The patient was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the officials said. The individual became infected with the bird flu virus, H5N1, after exposure to a backyard flock and wild birds. There is no sign that the virus is spreading from person to person anywhere in the country, and Louisiana officials have not identified any other cases in the state. (Mandavilli and Anthes, 1/6)

State and federal officials confirmed bird flu in a backyard flock in Clinton County. This is Iowa’s first detection of H5N1 with domestic birds in 2025. Poultry producers and people with backyard flocks should contact their veterinarian immediately if they see signs of a possible infection. This includes sudden deaths and birds with low energy, diarrhea or difficulty breathing. (Cramer, 1/6)

As the H5N1 bird flu virus continues to rip throughout California’s dairy herds and commercial poultry flocks, a Central Valley state official is raising concern about the lack of wastewater surveillance in the region. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) has been frustrated by what she says are gaps in tracking the bird flu’s spread in the Central Valley, where many of the state’s most vulnerable people — dairy and poultry workers — live and work. (Gomez and Rust, 1/6)

Reports of a surge in cases of a respiratory virus in China have evoked dark echoes of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic almost exactly five years ago. But despite the surface similarities, this situation is very different, and far less worrisome, medical experts say. ... HMPV is similar to a virus that is better known in the United States — respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V. It causes symptoms much like those associated with flu and Covid, including cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing. (Nolen, 1/7)

An uptick of a routine virus in China ignited dire headlines and social media posts, but public health experts caution that the human metapneumovirus cases are part of the typical ebb and flow of respiratory virus seasons and are no reason to be alarmed. Chinese authorities in late December reported a rising rate of children ages 14 and under testing positive for human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, as part of a broader update on the respiratory virus season. Videos posted on social media of crowded hospitals prompted speculation about the start of another global outbreak. But respiratory diseases in China this season appear less severe and are spreading at a smaller scale compared with last year, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Friday. (Nirappil, 1/6)

Because of the rise of respiratory illnesses in the Triangle, several hospitals are limiting patient visitations. This includes all Duke University Health System hospitals and surgery centers, and all UNC hospitals and UNC Health Rex. (1/6)

Can Paxlovid treat long Covid? A new report suggests it might help some patients, but which patients might benefit remains unclear. The report, published Monday in the journal Communications Medicine, describes the cases of 13 long Covid patients who took extended courses of the antiviral drug. Results were decidedly mixed: Nine patients reported some improvement, but only five said it lasted. Four reported no improvement at all. Perhaps more than anything, the report underscores that nearly five years after the pandemic began, there is still little known about what can help the millions of people with long Covid. (Belluck, 1/6)