CDC issues warning about bird flu cases
Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel talks about what you need to know about bird flu and the importance of not looking directly at the solar eclipse without the right glasses.
- Avian flu is spreading on 168 dairy farms in the United States.
- To date, seven cases of human infection with avian influenza have been recorded since the 2022 outbreak.
- The current outbreak began in February 2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a turkey flock in Indiana, the first case in a commercial poultry operation in the country since 2020.
The H5N1 avian influenza virus has spread among dairy cows in the United States, raising concerns it could infect humans.
Since 2022, avian influenza has infected 168 dairy herds, seven people who had contact with poultry, four people who had close contact with infected cattle, more than 100 million chickens, and more than 9,500 wild birds in the United States.
Below is a timeline of the current spread of infection in the country.
Health experts concerned about culling infected poultry amid bird flu outbreak
July 19 – Colorado reports fifth and sixth case of bird flu this year
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed two new cases of bird flu among chicken farm workers in Colorado, adding to the four cases already confirmed in the state this year.
Health officials also said preliminary results from blood samples taken from 35 people who work on a Michigan dairy farm that raises infected cows did not detect any neutralizing antibodies specific to the H5N1 virus, indicating the disease is not widespread.
Postdoctoral researcher John Aristi Sanz, PhD, working in the Sabeti lab at the Broad Institute, tests milk purchased from a local grocery store for the presence of avian influenza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 14, 2024. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
July 15 – 13: Avian influenza discovered in dairy herd in U.S. state
The United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed that Oklahoma has become the 13th state in the United States to detect avian influenza in dairy cows.
July 2 – US awards $176 million to Moderna to develop bird flu vaccine
The U.S. government has awarded Moderna Inc MRNA.O $176 million to develop an avian flu vaccine.
June 7 – 12 Avian influenza discovered in dairy herds in U.S. states
Wyoming becomes the 12th state to report an infected dairy herd.
June 6-11 Avian influenza discovered in dairy herds in U.S. states
Minnesota becomes the 11th state to report an infected dairy herd.
June 5-10 Avian influenza discovered in dairy herd in U.S. state
Iowa has reported the first infection in a dairy herd, making the avian influenza outbreak in dairy cattle the 10th state.
May 30 – Third case of bird flu this year
In 2024, a third U.S. dairy worker tested positive for avian influenza after contact with infected cows, becoming the first person to suffer from the respiratory illness. This was the second human case in Michigan.
May 22 – Second case of bird flu this year
In the United States, a dairy worker in Michigan has been confirmed to have bird flu, the second human case this year since the virus was first detected in cows.
April 26 – Avian flu outbreak in dairy herds in nine US states
Colorado is the ninth state in the US to report an infected dairy herd.
April 25 – Colombia restricts imports of U.S. beef.
Colombia has restricted imports of U.S. beef and beef products due to avian influenza in dairy cows.
April 24 – US tightens restrictions on dairy cow movement
The US government has announced that it will require dairy cows moving between states to be tested for avian flu.
April 23 – FDA detects bird flu in pasteurized milk
The US Food and Drug Administration has found avian flu virus particles in some samples of pasteurized milk, but says commercially available milk is safe because it is pasteurized.
April 11 – Avian flu outbreak in dairy herd in 8th US state
South Dakota becomes the eighth U.S. state to have avian influenza detected in dairy herds after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported infections in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Idaho and New Mexico.
April 4 – Avian flu spreads through Ohio flocks
Avian influenza infection in dairy cows has spread through Ohio’s dairy herds.
April 2 – Avian flu discovered in dairy cows in Mexico
Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry said it was taking precautions to step up surveillance and strengthen inspections of U.S. livestock imports after bird flu was found in the country’s dairy cows.
April 1 – Second case of bird flu infection in humans
The second case of avian influenza in the United States has been reported in a person in Texas who had contact with dairy cows believed to be infected with the virus.
The virus has been found in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, as well as New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho.
March 25 – Avian flu detected in milk
The Agriculture Department said milk samples from sick cows in Kansas and Texas tested positive for avian flu, but the nation’s milk supply is safe.
December 12, 2023 – Bird flu in Kansas shuts down egg production in California and Maine
Egg producer Cal-Maine Foods Inc CALM.O said it had temporarily halted production at a facility in Kansas after some chickens tested positive for avian flu.
November 3, 2023 – Arkansas reports first bird flu outbreak in a year
Arkansas, the nation’s leading chicken producer, has reported its first outbreak of deadly avian flu at a commercial chicken farm in a year.
October 6, 2023 – First bird flu case confirmed in the U.S. since April
In the United States, a flock of 47,300 turkeys in Gerard County, South Dakota, marked the first confirmed case of avian influenza on a commercial poultry farm since April.
April 14, 2023 – US tests four avian influenza vaccines for poultry
The U.S. government has announced that it is testing four candidate bird flu vaccines for poultry, following the worst bird flu pandemic in the country’s history that has killed more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds.
March 20, 2023 – Vaccine makers prepare
The world’s leading flu vaccine manufacturers say they could produce hundreds of millions of doses of bird flu vaccine for humans within months if a new bird flu strain were to cross species boundaries.
October 7, 2022 – 47 million birds culled due to bird flu
A commercially raised chicken flock in Arkansas was infected with avian influenza, which spread across the southern region.
More than 47 million birds have been killed by avian flu or culled to curb its spread across the country this year, the country’s worst outbreak since a record 50 million birds were killed in 2015.
April 29, 2022 – First case of bird flu in the United States
The first confirmed case of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States was in Colorado, where a man worked in bird culling at a commercial poultry facility.
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March 7, 2022 – 22 million chickens and turkeys die from bird flu
Since February 2022, an outbreak of the deadly avian flu has killed more than 22 million commercially farmed chickens and turkeys in the United States.
March 4, 2022 – Avian flu spreads to four states
An outbreak of avian influenza was reported in a commercial flock of chickens raised for meat in Stoddard County, Missouri, and the virus has spread to 10 commercial chicken and turkey farms in four states.
February 9, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture reports first bird flu outbreak since 2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a turkey flock in Indiana, the first case at a commercial poultry operation in the country since 2020.
