A Washington state resident has tested positive for bird flu, marking the first human case confirmed in the U.S. in nine months.

A Washington resident has been hospitalized with bird flu, according to the Washington State Health Department, and they’re infected with a strain of the virus that hasn’t been seen in humans before.

A new strain of human avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has been confirmed in Grays Harbor County, according to the Washington Department of Health.

After a summer hiatus, bird flu cases are once again ticking up in the United States. We are flying blind in the face of a potentially catastrophic pandemic threat.

Migrating wild birds are spreading the virus to domesticated flocks, increasing the risk of eventually seeing a human outbreak. Scientists are troubled by the muted federal response.

Bird flu cases are on the rise across the country as wild flocks migrate south for the winter, mingling with domestic poultry farms and backyard birds as they go. As of Nov. 7, bird flu has been confirmed in 67 flocks across the country in the last 30 days, leading to the deaths of 3.72 million birds across commercial and backyard flocks.

Avian flu in humans may have made a reappearance after 9 months, according to a press release from the Washington State Department of Health.