The first case of bird flu was confirmed in New Orleans last week after the H5N1 virus was detected in a house cat on Jan. 14, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The agriculture department listed the case among other instances where the virus has turned up in mammals since May 2022. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the state health department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the case.
An Oregon house cat died last month after eating cat food that contained raw turkey. The cat food, which contained a variant of bird flu, matched the illness that infected the cat and was later recalled. Officials have not shared what might have affected the Orleans Parish feline nor the animal’s current condition.
Cooking meat and pasteurizing milk eliminates the virus, prompting veterinarians to warn against feeding animals raw milk and meat products. Veterinarians have also warned against letting cats wander outdoors, as they are natural hunters who tend to go after birds that may contain the virus.
USDA officials said that such cases of the virus rarely spread further, except in instances of cats that live together at home.
Louisiana has had one case of bird flu in humans after a person contracted the virus from a backyard flock of birds. The patient, who was over 65 and had underlying health conditions, died earlier this month after being hospitalized in December.
The health department said no evidence of person-to-person transmission was found in the patient’s case. Although the health risk for the general public of being infected with H5N1 remains low, people who have exposure to birds, poultry or cows are at higher risk.
As of earlier this month, at least 66 people in the United States have been confirmed to have H5N1 bird flu in 2024 and 2025. The outbreak, which began in dairy cows in late March, has primarily affected people who had contact with infected cows, accounting for about 60% of cases.
The city’s health department forwarded all inquiries to the Louisiana Department of Health.
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