The worker are the first presumed human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, under investigation in Washington state, the Washington state Department of Health said Sunday. The workers have had mild symptoms and have been offered antiviral medication by the Benton Franklin Health District. None have required hospitalization.

Washington is the sixth state to report human cases of bird flu, which has spread rampantly in wild birds, poultry and cattle. Assuming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms the state’s positive tests, they will bring the U.S. tally to ...

Officials in Washington are investigating the state’s first-ever presumed human cases of avian influenza after four agricultural workers tested presumptively positive for the disease, the