Feb. 14, 2025, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) reported that the state’s first case of H5N1 avian influenza in a human has been confirmed in a Platte County older adult. The woman represents the third confirmed hospitalization related to H5N1 in the United States.

Officials reported he woman was hospitalized in another state, had health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to illness, and was likely exposed to the virus through direct contact with an infected poultry flock at her home.

H5N1 has been known to be infecting wild birds in Wyoming for some time now with the currently circulating virus spreading nationally since 2022. Infections among poultry and dairy cattle have also occurred previously in Wyoming.