BATON ROUGE — An LSU veterinarian says that the recent death of a Louisiana man from a strain of the bird flu is no reason for panic, despite the death being the first recorded fatality of the newest uptick in bird flu infections.

The man who died Monday was over the age of 65 and had underlying health conditions. He didn't spread the illness to any of his contacts once he fell ill, Rebecca Christofferson, an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the LSU Veterinary Medicine school, said Tuesday.

The United States has seen more than five dozen cases of bird flu in humans over the past year, but none have involved human-to-human transmissions. The man who died had exposure to a backyard non-commercial flock and wild birds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"If you have to come into contact with birds, the first thing you have to do is stay aware. Are your birds acting normal? Are they acting differently? Do they seem ill? If they seem the best thing to do is not to handle them," she said.

Outside of the U.S., there have been more than 900 bird flu cases in humans, with more than half turning out to be fatal.

"If we can raise awareness, not panic, get people in the habits of being aware taking precautions, and making good decisions of handling their chicken, and how they can protect themselves and their neighbors, well, that's what we want to do," she said.