Bird flu is spreading across the United States, causing egg shortages and soaring prices at supermarkets and restaurants — however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the current public health risk is low.
On Friday, the Wyoming Department of Health confirmed the state’s first human case of H5N1 bird flu. That case is the third confirmed hospitalization related to the virus in the U.S.
Over the weekend, Ohio’s health department confirmed to CBS News that a farmer in the state sickened with bird flu was also hospitalized and has since been released, making it the fourth hospitalization in the U.S.
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The CDC’s website currently indicates there are 68 confirmed human cases of bird flu across 11 states, with one death in Louisiana associated with the H5N1 infection. As of Feb. 18, Wyoming’s and Ohio’s human cases bring the total to 70 confirmed human cases of bird flu across 13 states.
In recent months, cases of avian influenza have increased in animals, including poultry, wild birds, dairy cows and even pet cats. Nearly 23 million birds were affected by the virus in January, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since February 2022, over 138 million birds have been infected by H5N1.
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Kate Murphy
As of Feb. 18, 70 cases of bird flu detected in humans have been confirmed across 13 U.S. states due to exposure from infected commercial poultry, dairy cattle herds or other animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current public health risk of bird flu is low.
The states where human cases of bird flu have thus far been identified are Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Wyoming.
