What is the Bird flu? The Bird flu, also known as H5N1, is a type of disease known to infect wild
birds and dairy cows. In 2022, the virus started to pick back up after not being detected in U.S
Wild birds since 2016. According to the CDC, the initial infection rates remained low and posed
a low risk to the public. However, in November 2022, the CDC reported that the “U.S
approaches record number of Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Wild Birds and Poultry,” with Chile
reporting its first human infection on March 29, 2023.
This human infection resulted in the CDC convening with other leaders of animal and human
sectors in Southeast Asia to find a solution. However, the problem did not subside. On
September 7, 2023, the CDC reported that “‘Bird Flu’ outbreaks increase Globally,” with
Cambodia reporting two fatal human infections on October 12, , 2023. The CDC began to put
more effort into trying to prevent more human infections, including Bird flu surveillance in live
bird markets; when samples were taken from these markets in Vietnam, almost 40% were
positive for H5N1.
Bird flu continues to escalate. In April 2024 the virus spread to cows and then to other humans.
This was the first case of the infection infecting cows and the first cow-to-human infection. In
Poland, Bird flu began to spread to domestic cats, increasing the infection statistics for animals.
The CDC confirms they are continuing to monitor for infections and provided the following
information about the Bird flu as number of U.S. residents infected increases to nine:
-The risk to the general public is still considered low.
-The CDC will continue to monitor the rates and infections in wild birds, poultry, dairy cows, and
other mammals along with the USDA.
-Nearly 100 million birds have been affected in a total of 48 states and 527 countries. There
have been over a thousand outbreaks so far, the largest of which occuring in a flock of over five
million in Buena Vista, Iowa on March 17, 2022.
