LA Times As 2024 came to an end, bird flu dominated headlines. The virus, technically known as avian influenza, was being detected in raw milk, dairy farms and even children, my colleagues Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez reported.
After federal officials confirmed the severe case of a Louisiana patient, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California and pushed to fortify the state’s response to bird flu. In January 2025, the flu took that Louisiana patient’s life. The individual was older than 65, had preexisting health conditions and had had contact with sick and dead birds. But still, headlines wondered if it meant a new epidemic was coming.
And then the headlines slowed, and big stories like wildfires and Donald Trump’s new presidency pushed bird flu out of the public conscience. So what ended up happening with it?