USDA or CDC reports

US Faces Widespread H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak, One Death Reported, Vaccine Development Underway

Jun 12, 2024, 01:40 PM

The United States is grappling with a significant outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which has spread from domestic and wild birds to dairy cattle. The virus has been detected in over 85 herds across 12 states, with recent detections in mice and cats in New Mexico. Wyoming, Iowa, and Minnesota have recently reported their first detections. Despite the spread, public health officials, including the World Health Organization (WHO), state that the risk to humans remains low. However, concerns are growing due to the potential for the virus to mutate and spread among humans. The USDA is working with 24 companies to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, and the European Commission has secured 665,000 doses of bird flu vaccine from CSL Seqirus to protect at-risk workers. Michigan has been noted for its aggressive testing and response to the outbreak, a model that experts hope other states will follow. The outbreak has also led to the slaughter of nearly 100 million chickens and turkeys since it began in February 2022. Additionally, one person has died from the H5N2 subtype, and the USDA is testing a vaccine developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers on calves.