CDC issues alert over bird flu case
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel on what to know about bird flu and why it is important to not look directly at the solar eclipse without proper glasses
- Bird flu has spread among 168 dairy herds in the U.S.,
- To date, seven cases of bird flu have been documented in humans since the 2022 outbreak.
- The current outbreak began in February 2022. The USDA reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu in an Indiana turkey flock, the nation’s first case in a commercial poultry operation since 2020.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has spread to dairy cows in the United States, raising concerns about its spread to humans.
Since 2022, bird flu in the U.S. has infected 168 dairy herds, seven people who were exposed to poultry, four people who were in close contact with infected cattle, more than 100 million chickens and over 9,500 wild birds.
The following is a timeline of the current outbreak in the country:
HEALTH EXPERTS RAISE CONCERN OVER THE DISPOSAL OF INFECTED POULTRY BIRDS AS AVIAN FLU SPREADS
July 19 – fifth, sixth cases of bird flu in humans in CO this year
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed two additional cases of bird flu in Colorado poultry farm workers in addition to four previously confirmed human cases in the state this year.
The health agency also said preliminary results from blood samples collected from 35 people who work in dairy farms in Michigan with infected herds did not show neutralizing antibodies specific to the H5N1 virus, an indication that the disease was not present in a wider group.
Jon Arizti Sanz, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, works in the Broad institute’s Sabeti Lab testing purchased milk at area grocery stores for the presence of bird flu in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 14, 2024. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
July 15 – 13th US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
Oklahoma became the 13th U.S. state to detect bird flu in dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed.
July 2 – US awards $176M to Moderna to advance bird flu vaccine
The U.S. government awarded $176 million to Moderna MRNA.O to advance development of its bird flu vaccine.
June 7 – 12th US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
Wyoming became the 12th state to report an infected dairy herd.
June 6 – 11th US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
Minnesota became the 11th state to report an infected dairy herd.
June 5 – 10th US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
Bird flu outbreak in dairy cows expanded to a tenth state as Iowa reported its first infection in a herd.
May 30 – third case of bird flu in humans this year
A third U.S. dairy worker tested positive for bird flu in 2024 after exposure to infected cows, and was the first to suffer respiratory problems. The infection was the second human case in the state of Michigan.
May 22 – second case of bird flu in humans this year
Another human case of bird flu is confirmed in the U.S. with the infection of a dairy worker in Michigan. It is the second case in humans this year after the virus was detected in cattle.
April 26 – ninth US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
Colorado became the ninth U.S. state to report an infected dairy herd.
April 25 – Colombia restricts US beef imports
Colombia restricted the import of beef and beef products coming from U.S. states due to bird flu in dairy cows.
April 24 – US tightens restrictions on dairy cow movement
The U.S. government said it will require dairy cattle moving between states to be tested for bird flu.
April 23 – FDA detects bird flu in pasteurized milk
The U.S. Food and Drug administration said it had found bird flu virus particles in some samples of pasteurized milk, but said the commercial milk supply remains safe due to pasteurization.
April 11 – eighth US state finds bird flu in dairy herd
South Dakota became the eighth U.S. state to find avian influenza in a dairy herd, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported infections in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Idaho and New Mexico.
April 4 – bird flu spreads to Ohio herd
Bird flu dairy cow outbreak widened to a dairy herd in Ohio.
April 2 – bird flu found in Mexican dairy cattle
Mexico’s agriculture ministry said it was taking preventative measures to increase surveillance and reinforce inspections of U.S. livestock imports after bird flu was found in dairy cattle there.
April 1 – second case of bird flu in humans
The second known human case of bird flu in the United States is reported in a person from Texas who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus.
The virus was detected in dairy cattle in New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho, along with Texas and Kansas.
March 25 – bird flu detected in milk
The USDA said samples of milk collected from sick cattle in Kansas and Texas tested positive for avian flu, but the nation’s milk supply was safe.
Dec. 12, 2023 – bird flu in Kansas halts Cal-Maine egg production
Egg producer Cal-Maine Foods CALM.O said it had temporarily ceased production at a facility in Kansas after some of the flock tested positive for avian flu.
Nov. 3, 2023 – Arkansas reports first bird flu outbreak in a year
Arkansas, a major U.S. chicken producer, reported its first outbreak of lethal avian flu in a commercial poultry flock in a year.
Oct. 6, 2023 – US detects first bird flu case since April
The United States detected its first case of avian flu on a commercial poultry farm since April, in a flock of 47,300 turkeys in Jerauld County, South Dakota.
April 14, 2023 – US tests 4 bird flu vaccines for poultry
The U.S. government said it was testing four potential bird flu vaccines for poultry, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds had died in the nation’s worst outbreak ever.
March 20, 2023 – vaccine makers get ready
Some of the world’s leading makers of flu vaccines say they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of avian influenza ever jumps across the species divide.
Oct. 7, 2022 – 47 million birds killed or culled from bird flu
Avian flu infected a commercial flock of breeding chickens in Arkansas, widening an outbreak of the disease in the southern region.
Nationwide, more than 47 million birds have been killed by avian flu or culled to control its spread this year in the nation’s worst outbreak since a record 50 million birds were wiped out in 2015.
April 29, 2022 – first human case of bird flu in US
The first known human case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States appeared in a person in Colorado, who was involved in culling birds at a commercial poultry facility.
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March 7, 2022 – 22 million chickens, turkeys die from bird flu
More than 22 million commercially raised U.S. chickens and turkeys have been killed since February 2022 due to outbreaks of a highly lethal type of bird flu.
March 4, 2022 – bird flu spreads to 4 states
A bird flu outbreak is reported in a commercial flock of chickens being raised for meat in Stoddard County, Missouri, taking the spread of the virus to 10 commercial chicken and turkey farms in four states.
Feb. 9, 2022 – USDA reports first bird flu outbreak since 2020
The USDA reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu in an Indiana turkey flock, the nation’s first case in a commercial poultry operation since 2020.