Emerging Bird Flu Outbreaks Raise Concerns Across US Midwest

Federal and state officials are tracking a fresh wave of bird flu activity in animals across the United States, even as public health agencies maintain that the overall risk to people remains low.

The most notable development is in the Midwest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed Wisconsin’s first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in a dairy cattle herd, detected through the national milk testing strategy launched in late 2024. According to a USDA news release summarized by veterinary outlet dvm360 and the University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP, the infected herd showed little obvious illness, and officials stress that pasteurized milk remains safe because pasteurization inactivates the virus and milk from affected cows is kept out of commerce.

CDC’s latest national situation summary reports that since 2024 there have been 71 confirmed or probable human H5 bird flu cases linked mainly to dairy herds and poultry operations, with overall public health risk in the U.S. still assessed as low. Most infections occurred in workers with close, unprotected exposure to infected animals.

In poultry, outbreaks continue to flare with the fall and winter migration. CIDRAP reports that in the past month about 880,000 U.S. birds have been affected in 90 commercial and backyard flocks, including major turkey losses in Minnesota and North Dakota and a new commercial duck meat detection in Indiana. Arkansas extension officials say more than 1.16 million birds in 108 flocks have tested positive for H5N1 in the past month as peak waterfowl migration brings added risk to local producers.

Some local responses are winding down. Grant County, Washington, health officials announced this week that their October commercial poultry outbreak response has formally ended, though they caution that detections in wild birds and other animals continue and are likely to recur during migration seasons.

Globally, concern centers on preventing the cattle-associated U.S. H5N1 strain from spreading abroad. The European Food Safety Authority said this week that introduction of bird flu from U.S. dairy cattle into Europe is considered very unlikely, but it urged continued vigilance and surveillance across the European Union.

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