Reports from state health departments or CDC confirmations

CDC Advises Enhanced Summer Flu Surveillance to Monitor H5N1 Human Spread

May 21, 2024, 07:50 PM

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised state and local health officials to maintain influenza surveillance at peak levels throughout the summer. This directive, issued on Tuesday, aims to monitor and test individuals exposed to the H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu. The CDC's recommendation includes increased testing of influenza A virus samples and submitting more samples for subtyping to distinguish between seasonal influenza and H5N1. Public health authorities in nearly all states and territories have reported the capability to monitor and test for H5N1. The CDC is particularly concerned about the potential human spread of the H5N1 virus.