India, Nov. 26 -- H5N5 bird flu has claimed its first human life in Washington.

The virus, found in wild birds, poses a low risk to humans but is a threat to poultry.

Continued surveillance is essential to detect any potential adaptation to humans, though current human risk remains minimal.

H5N1 bird flu has infected growing numbers of people worldwide in recent years, but this week saw something new: the first recorded human case of an H5N5 avian influenza virus. What is this virus and how concerned about it should we be?

What happened?

In early November, a resident of Grays Harbor, a county on the south-west Pacific coast of Washington state about 100 miles from Seattle, became severely unwell with flu-like symptoms including high ...