Headline: "Vigilance Urged as Avian Flu Outbreaks Persist in U.S. Livestock and Wildlife"

U.S. health officials say highly pathogenic H5 bird flu remains a concern this winter, with fresh animal outbreaks but no major change in human risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that since 2024 there have been 71 human H5 cases in the United States, including two deaths, almost all in dairy and poultry workers with direct animal exposure. CDC continues to rate the current public health risk to the general U.S. population as low, and there is still no evidence of sustained person to person spread.

On the animal front, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies are tracking a new seasonal surge in birds and scattered detections in dairy cattle. The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota reports that Wisconsin recently detected H5N1 in a dairy herd for the first time via routine milk testing, although the cows showed no clear signs of illness and regulators stress that pasteurized milk remains safe and milk from affected animals is being discarded. Farm Progress notes that seven U.S. states are now coping with heightened avian flu activity in poultry as colder weather and wild bird migration create what analysts describe as a perfect storm for spread.

At the same time, some local outbreaks are winding down. Grant County Health District in Washington state announced last week that its fall bird flu outbreak in a commercial poultry flock has officially ended after containment measures and worker monitoring, again with no human to human transmission detected.

Beyond livestock, wildlife die offs are signaling the virus is still circulating widely in North America. Public radio station WVIA reports that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating the deaths of roughly 400 snow geese at a Northampton County quarry, with officials saying highly pathogenic avian influenza is the likely cause based on previous confirmed events in the same region.

Globally, veterinary and public health agencies continue to monitor H5N1 across Europe, Asia, and Africa, watching closely for any genetic changes that might increase its ability to spread between people. So far, human infections worldwide remain rare and linked mainly to close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments.

That’s the latest on bird flu. Thanks for tuning in, and come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more from me check out QuietPlease dot A I.

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