The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday that the first case of severe human illness for H5N1 bird flu occurred this week in Louisiana, marking the first hospitalization for the disease in the United States.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Wednesday that this case makes a total of 61 human infections of bird flu since the virus was first detected in dairy cows in April.

“While an investigation into the source of this infection in Louisiana is ongoing, it is believed that the patient that was reported by Louisiana had exposure to sick or dead birds on their property. These are not commercial poultry, and there was no exposure to dairy cows or their related products,” said Daskalakis.

Daskalakis highlighted that the strain of the bird flu virus that infected the Louisiana patient was genetically distinct from that circulating in dairy cows and commercial poultry.

The strain of the virus in dairy cows and poultry typically results in severe conjunctivitis infections, colloquially known as pink eye, and mild respiratory symptoms in humans.

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“Over the 20-plus years of global experience with this virus, H5 infection has previously been associated with severe illness in other countries, including illnesses that resulted in deaths in up to 50% of cases,” said Daskalakis.

Daskalakis referred questions from reporters about the exact symptoms and condition of the Louisiana patient to the state’s health and agriculture departments. He added that the state is conducting contact tracing, but was not able to provide details of the program.