Grays Harbor, Washington - A person in the US has been infected with the H5N5 subtype of bird flu, with the health authorities in the state of Washington confirming the case on Saturday.

This is the first case of bird flu in humans in nine months, and the first time this strain has been detected in humans, it said.

However, the CDC continues to classify the risk to the public as "low."

The elderly man has pre-existing conditions and is continuing to receive treatment in hospital, according to the department. He keeps domestic poultry that has had contact with wild birds.

It is the first case of bird flu in humans in nine months.

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is an infectious disease that is often fatal in many species of birds and poultry.

Since 2022, the largest wave of bird flu ever documented has been raging across several continents. However, this involves the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. It mainly affects birds, but has also been found in several mammals.

This H5N1 subtype is also transmissible to humans at high infection doses, though this is rare.