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A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with bird flu —  the country’s first severe human H5N1 infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency said the person was likely exposed to the virus from dead or dying birds in a backyard flock. It’s the first time a backyard flock has been associated with a bird flu infection in a U.S. resident.

The case was reported as a presumptive positive by Louisiana on Friday and later confirmed by the CDC. 

This is the 61st human case of avian influenza reported this year in the U.S. Most of the cases have been mild and found among farmworkers exposed to the virus through contact with animals. 

The CDC said the development does not change its assessment of the risk of H5N1, which the agency says remains “low.”

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