Category: Avian Influenza
What’s the prognosis for bird flu in 2026?
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 […]
Jan 21, 2026
Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists
New York Times Researchers are not just worried about the virus popping up on American farms. Other types are causing trouble around the world. In the United States, the term bird flu has become synonymous with a particular virus that has devastated poultry and dairy farms over the past few years. But that virus, called […]
Jan 21, 2026
Avian influenza confirmed in 3 Minnesota turkey flocks
Watt Poultry The largest of the three affected flocks included 250,600 commercial meat turkeys. The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in three commercial meat turkey flocks in Minnesota. According to information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) two of the flock infections occurred […]
Jan 21, 2026
Kansas bird flu outbreak is worst in nation
High Plains News “H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with sporadic human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers,” according to CDC. TOPEKA — Kansas is suffering from the worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country, with nearly 414,000 […]
Jan 14, 2026
We know how to prevent bird flu. So why aren’t we?
STAT The virus is expected to kill millions of animals this winter. Cheaper egg prices have muted public discussion on one of the most serious threats to American agriculture this century: bird flu. But the problem has not disappeared. In fact, the data suggest that the virus will bring devastating animal and economic losses this winter. […]
Jan 14, 2026
Poultry farms need an avian flu emergency preparedness plan
Watt Poultry Commercial poultry operations should have an avian influenza emergency preparedness plan as a tool to protect the health and safety of workers, veterinarians and anyone else who comes into contact with poultry. Matthew Spencer, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association vice president of HR and safety programs, highlighted basic requirements of such an emergency preparedness plan during the […]
Jan 14, 2026
The expanding H5N1 avian influenza panzootic causes high mortality of skuas in Antarctica
Nature High pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 subtype (H5N1 HPAIV), clade 2.3.4.4b, is expanding its host and geographical range, and invaded Antarctica in 2023. Although mortality in Antarctic wildlife from H5N1 HPAIV has been suspected, mainly based on virological analysis of swabs collected from dead animals, it has not been unequivocally diagnosed. Here we show […]
Jan 14, 2026
The role of wild birds in the global highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 panzootic, 2020–2023
Nature The emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 clade 2.3.4.4b has triggered an unprecedented global panzootic in recent years. As the frequency and scale of HPAI H5 outbreaks continue to rise, understanding how wild birds contribute to shape the global virus spread across regions—affecting poultry, domestic and wild mammals—is increasingly critical. In this […]
Jan 7, 2026
‘It’s completely out of control’: Scientists warn bird flu could spark a human pandemic in 2026
Science Focus Bird flu has been rampaging through wildlife and farm animals worldwide. Will it make the long-feared jump to people? When a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu strain of avian influenza (H5N1) began sweeping across wild birds and poultry in 2020, it already looked concerning. Five years on, the picture has grown darker […]
Jan 7, 2026
Top US Egg Producer Says Bird Flu Still ‘Extremely Strong’
Bloomberg Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the biggest egg producer in the US, said bird flu still has an “extremely strong” presence, having last year decimated US poultry flocks and sent egg prices soaring to records. Nearly 500 outbreaks in poultry were reported across 26 countries in October and November last year, according to the World Organisation for […]
Jan 7, 2026