First U.S. bird flu death reported in Louisiana after severe case of H5N1

A Louisiana resident has died after being hospitalized with bird flu, the state's health department announced Monday, marking the first U.S. death from the H5N1 virus.

"The patient was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions," Louisiana's health department said in a statement, saying that health officials still judge the public health risk from the virus as low for the general public. 

The patient tested positive after being exposed to wild birds and a personal backyard poultry flock that was infected with the virus, according to the health department. No other people were found to have been sickened by the virus in Louisiana.