Category: Avian Influenza
27 birds dead as avian flu surges across Southeast Texas
Chron Officials in Galveston County confirmed Monday several positive cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, across the area. In fact, the county said that 27 birds have died from influenza, known as H5N1, already during this outbreak. “Of the 27, six birds have been sent to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) for further diagnostic testing and confirmation,” read […]
Dec 3, 2025
H5N1 outbreaks surge across the Americas – PAHO
The Poultry Site The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported that avian influenza A(H5N1) continues to circulate in the Americas, with new outbreaks detected in birds, mammals, and sporadic human infections linked to exposure to the virus. Clade 2.3.4.4b—the region’s predominant strain since 2021—continues to drive the activity recorded in recent years. Recent data indicates that […]
Dec 3, 2025
Virginia: Avian influenza suspected in Rocky Mount vulture deaths
WFXR Wildlife officials suspect highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused the deaths of numerous vultures found deceased in a wooded area in Rocky Mount. The birds were discovered on Tuesday, December 3, in a wooded lot on the corner of Dent Street and Franklin Street. Some of the deceased vultures were found in a creek […]
Dec 3, 2025
Bird flu hits 18,000 turkeys in north central Iowa
Des Moines Register Bird flu has struck a commercial turkey operation with 18,000 birds in north central Iowa’s Hamilton County, the Iowa Department of Agriculture says. The outbreak reported Tuesday, Dec. 2, is the first in Iowa since October, when highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected at a Calhoun County turkey operation with 42,000 birds. This […]
Dec 3, 2025
Bird flu has a heat-proof gene that protects it from our fever defenses
NewAtlas Scientists have discovered that avian influenza viruses have a gene that makes them incredibly resistant to heat, rendering our body’s natural defense system – fever – powerless in fighting infection. In fact, higher temperatures actually help the viruses replicate. Reserchers from the University of Cambridge and University of Glasgow have furthered our understanding of […]
Dec 3, 2025
Inside the Bird-Flu Vaccine Trial for Monk Seals
NYT After the virus returned to Hawaii this fall, testing the shots in the endangered seal species became urgent. Two wild Hawaiian monk seals, an endangered species, have become the first of their kind to receive vaccines for bird flu, part of a new effort to protect the animals from a virus that has been ravaging […]
Dec 3, 2025
UTMB Study Finds Evidence of Avian Influenza Virus Infections in Farm Workers
UTMB When highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in early 2024, it challenged assumptions about which species are at risk from “bird flu”. Follow-up investigations show that this virus can spread efficiently within and between dairy herds and occasionally infect other mammals, including cats and humans [1]. Few […]
Nov 26, 2025
Bird flu mystery in Michigan: What happened to infections among dairy herds?
Fox/Detroit Michigan is managing eight different outbreaks of bird flu among its commercial poultry farms and several others among backyard flocks as transmission rates pick up. According to the state’s agriculture director, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is trending at a similar pace as they’ve seen in previous years. That’s good news after last year’s outbreak […]
Nov 26, 2025
First Human Dies of Rare H5N5 Bird Flu Strain. Here’s What You Need to Know
American Scientific A person in the Washington State has died of avian influenza. It’s the first human death from bird flu in the U.S. since January—but the infection was of a different strain than the one that has been devastating poultry farms and wild animals for the past several years. The Washington State Department of Health announced the death on Friday, noting […]
Nov 26, 2025
First human bird-flu death from H5N5 – what you need to know
The Conversation H5N1 bird flu has infected growing numbers of people worldwide in recent years, but this week saw something new: the first recorded human case of an H5N5 avian influenza virus. What is this virus and how concerned about it should we be? What happened? In early November, a resident of Grays Harbor, a […]
Nov 26, 2025