A patient with the first “ severe case ” of bird flu in the U.S. has died, according to a press release Monday from the Louisiana Department of Health. It’s the first human death from H5N1 in the country since concern over the current outbreak started in early 2024 when it became clear the virus was being transmitted in the U.S. between cattle.

Though H5N1 has been circulating nationwide in wild birds, domestic poultry, and mammals since 2022, you may have only been hearing about it recently because of its jump to dairy cattle. The first positive case was documented in Texas on March 25, 2024.