Man, 65, has first severe case of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus in the US amid fears it has pandemic potential [Video]

A MAN in Louisiana has been hospitalised with the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, health officials have said.

This is the first “severe” case of bird flu reported in the US where the virus has spread rapidly through cows this year.

In nearby Canada, a healthy teenage boy remains in intensive care after contracting the same strain in October.

At least 61 human cases in the US have been recorded so far, mostly from people who worked with cows.

Most of these people only reported mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis and sore throat.

The new US case, like the one in Canada, is believed to have caught the virus directly from birds, not through infected cattle.

The man, who is said to be over the age of 65, likely picked up the bug from sick birds in his backyard, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in …