Bird Flu Update: US H5N1 News Now
This is Bird Flu Update: US H5N1 News Now. I’m your host, and here’s what you need to know about avian influenza in the United States right now.
The latest confirmed human case of H5 bird flu in the U.S. was reported by the World Health Organization on November 15, 2025. This is the 71st confirmed human case of H5 in the United States since early 2024 and the first reported since February 2025. CDC laboratory sequencing confirmed the virus as influenza A H5N5, marking the first human case of this subtype ever reported globally. The infected person had exposure to infected animals, and to date, no human-to-human transmission has been identified in any of the U.S. H5 cases. The CDC continues to assess the immediate risk to the general public as low.
Since 2024, the 71 human cases have been linked to three main exposure sources: 41 cases in people with contact with infected dairy herds, 24 in poultry workers or those involved in culling operations, and three with other or unknown animal exposure. One earlier case in a Colorado poultry worker in 2022 is also counted in the total. Louisiana reported the first H5 bird flu death in the U.S., but CDC still emphasizes that the overall public health risk remains low and that sustained person-to-person spread has not occurred.
On the animal side, USDA data shows that since March 2024, more than 980 dairy herds across 17 states have had confirmed H5N1 infections in dairy cows. The outbreak in dairy cattle continues to be a major focus for federal and state agencies. In poultry, USDA reports detections in hundreds of commercial and backyard flocks, affecting tens of millions of birds nationwide. Wild bird surveillance also remains active, with HPAI detections reported in multiple states, including recent alerts in Texas and Indiana.
CDC recently streamlined its H5 bird flu reporting, integrating updates into routine influenza data releases. As of early July 2025, CDC stopped posting USDA animal data on its bird flu page and now only reports new human H5 cases there and in FluView. National targeted H5 surveillance data, including the number of people monitored and tested after animal exposure, is updated monthly on the CDC site.
USDA continues to lead animal health response, including mandatory raw milk testing from dairy processing silos as part of its surveillance strategy. This testing helps identify affected herds and supports the broader effort to contain spread in dairy operations. The FDA continues to affirm that commercial pasteurization effectively inactivates H5N1 virus in milk, and ongoing research is evaluating thermal inactivation, cheese-making processes, and disposal of raw milk waste to further strengthen the milk safety system.
For the public, CDC and health officials stress that the immediate risk from H5 bird flu remains low. Most human cases have occurred in people with direct, prolonged contact with infected animals, especially sick dairy cows or infected poultry. There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. People are advised to avoid contact with sick or dead birds and to follow safety precautions if working with livestock or poultry.
Compared to previous weeks, the situation remains stable: no new human cases have been reported since the November H5N5 case, and national surveillance systems continue to show no unusual flu activity in the general population. The number of affected dairy herds and poultry flocks remains high but is not rapidly increasing in a way that suggests a major shift in risk to the broader public.
Thank you for tuning in to Bird Flu Update: US H5N1 News Now. 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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