Federal health officials say that not only has a Louisiana resident contracted the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S., but that the virus likely mutated in the patient. The findings raise concern regarding the adaptability of the virus.

Federal health officials have confirmed unsettling new details about the first United States case of severe bird flu,

H5N1 usually spreads to people through contact with infected or dead birds, as with the Louisiana patient. Currently, there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission, said the CDC's Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.

There have been reports of bird flu cases throughout the U.S. and one confirmed case in Louisiana. Here's what the CDC says about bird flu infections.

A genetic analysis of viral samples from a patient in Louisiana hospitalized with the first severe case of bird flu showed mutations that may result in the virus becoming more transmissible

The Health (LDH) announced on December 13 the detection of the first presumptive positive human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1,

In a case first reported in Louisiana, a patient has now developed the first known case of bird flu so severe as to require hospitalization.

A person in Louisiana has the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., health officials said Wednesday.

HPAI is considered low risk to humans, the agency said, and there have been no human cases in New England during the current outbreak. The post Bird flu detected in small backyard flock in Vermont appeared first on Boston.