H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak Continues Nationwide, Impacting Dairy Cows, Poultry, and Wild Birds

H5N1 bird flu continues to circulate widely in the United States, with GISAID reporting ongoing spread in dairy cows, poultry, and wild birds as of January 1, driven by the clade 2.3.4.4b strain. The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced on December 31 that four dairy herds remain under quarantine, including one re-quarantined after a new detection on a previously cleared site, amid 766 total infected dairies since 2024.

In human cases, the CDC has confirmed 71 infections nationwide, mostly mild eye and respiratory symptoms among farm workers exposed to infected animals, according to GISAID data through December 30. California leads with 38 cases linked to dairy cows, while 41 total tie to cows and 24 to poultry. No person-to-person transmission is reported, though one mammalian adaptation marker appeared in a single worker.

A notable development: Washington State Department of Health reported a hospitalized resident in Grays County—the first human case of a rare influenza A H5 strain never before seen in people—linked to backyard poultry exposed to wild birds. The patient, with underlying conditions, remains hospitalized since early November, but no related infections have surfaced.

Globally, the virus persists unpredictably, with high RNA levels in raw milk and infections across mammals like cats and coyotes. Vets are pushing back against USDA's ventilation shutdown depopulation methods for poultry flocks, per My Vet Candy on January 2. CIDRAP noted a fresh avian flu case in Nebraska yesterday.

Public risk stays low, per CDC, but experts urge vigilance during migratory bird season. Thank you for tuning in. Come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production. For me, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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