LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A patient in the U.S. state of Louisiana has become the first person to died of bird flu, or H5N1, in the United States, authorities said on Monday.

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed in a news release that the patient had been hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The patient was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions, said the department, adding that the patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.

The department noted that the patient remains the only human case of H5N1 in the southeastern U.S. state and the department's extensive public health investigation has identified no additional H5N1 cases nor evidence of person-to-person transmission.

While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk, state officials warned, adding that the best way to protect people from H5N1 is to avoid sources of exposure. ■