The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging health care workers to accelerate bird flu testing for patients hospitalized with flu symptoms.

America's first human death from bird flu occurred in Louisiana, where an elderly resident succumbed to the H5N1 virus after exposure to infected backyard birds. The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed on January 6 that the patient,

The U.S. reported its first human death from H5N1 bird flu, marking a significant milestone in the outbreak. The patient was over 65 with underlying health conditions and was hospitalized in Louisiana in December.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging health care workers to accelerate bird flu testing for patients hospitalized with flu symptoms, as the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak continues to grow in the United States and Canada.

Learn about the CDC's new measures for clinicians, including prompt testing for bird flu and antiviral treatment, to respond to the outbreak.

The CDC is monitoring developments closely because the United States is in the middle of flu season. With more patients flooding hospitals seeking care for seasonal flu, testing for avian influenza could slow down, and that could delay public health measures needed to prevent disease spread.

The CDC on Thursday urged labs nationwide to determine within 24 hours of admission whether people hospitalized with the flu have seasonal influenza or are infected with the bird flu that's behind an escalating outbreak in dairy cows and poultry.

The first U.S. bird flu death has been reported. Louisiana health officials announced the death Monday of a person who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms.

The CDC is calling for expanded testing of bird flu after a child in California tested positive for the virus despite no known contact with animals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitals treating people for the flu should test them for avian influenza within 24 hours.

The West Monroe Police Department has partnered with Project Childsafe to bring free firearm safety kits to West Monroe.

The U.S. has reported its first death due to bird flu, aka H5N1. How deadly is H5N1? Experts discuss bird flu fatality rate amid ongoing outbreak.