bird flu

Launching an effective bird flu vaccine quickly could be tough, scientists warn

9:20am May 03, 2024

by Rob Stein

Federal health officials say the U.S. has the building blocks to make a vaccine to protect humans from bird flu, if needed. But experts warn we're nowhere near prepared for another pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ordering dairy producers to test cows that produce milk for infections from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) before the animals are transported to a different state following the discovery of the virus in samples of pasteurized milk taken by the Food and Drug Administration.

The U.S. may be missing human cases of bird flu, scientists say

11:59am May 02, 2024

by Will Stone

Officially, only one person has caught the illness during the current outbreak. But with limited testing, cases could be flying under the radar.

Bird flu is spreading through U.S. dairy cattle. Scientists say the risk to people is minimal, but open questions remain, including how widespread the outbreak is and how the virus is spreading.

As bird flu spreads in cows, here are 4 big questions scientists are trying to answer

7:14pm April 26, 2024

by Will Stone

Health officials say there's very little risk to humans from the bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle, but there's still much they don't know. Here are four questions scientists are trying to answer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday, April 23, 2024, that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.

Remnants of the bird flu virus have been found in pasteurized milk, the FDA says

10:52am April 24, 2024

by The Associated Press

The agency stressed the material is inactivated and that the findings "do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers," but it's continuing to study the issue.

With diary cows getting bird flu, researchers are trying to figure out what mutations could make the virus a threat to humans.

More states are finding bird flu in cattle. This is what scientists are watching for

7:09pm April 11, 2024

by Will Stone

Avian influenza is being detected in more dairy herds. Scientists are paying close attention to how the virus is changing and what that means for its pandemic potential.

Agriculture

North Carolina dairy cow tests positive for avian flu

1:34pm April 11, 2024

by April Laissle

Avian influenza has been detected in a North Carolina dairy herd. It’s the first time the virus has impacted the state’s livestock.

An outbreak of bird flu is affecting dairy cows in the U.S.

What to know about the risks of the bird flu outbreak

5:18am April 04, 2024

by Will Stone

Cattle are getting sick with H5N1, and one person got sick in Texas. How bad could this be for dairy farms? Could it spread among people? Here's what scientists are learning.

Cases of eggs from Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., await to be handed out by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce employees at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson, Miss., on Aug. 7, 2020.

A bird flu outbreak at the largest U.S. chicken egg producer could affect egg prices

5:51pm April 03, 2024

by Ayana Archie

Cal-Maine Foods lost about 1.9 million chickens, or 3.6% of its flock, as a result of an outbreak at a Texas plant. The CDC says, however, that a person is unlikely to get bird flu from eggs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says cows in multiple states have tested positive for bird flu.

What the CDC is doing to monitor and protect against bird flu

4:20pm April 03, 2024

CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen tells NPR that while the risk of bird flu spreading to humans is low, the U.S. government is taking precautions to avoid spread of the virus.

Chickens on a chicken farm in Lichtenburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 23, 2023.

South Africa culls millions of chickens in an effort to contain bird flu outbreaks

3:14am October 04, 2023

by The Associated Press

The outbreaks hit an industry struggling from an electricity crisis. One expert said three recent bird flu outbreaks have caused losses of at least $25 million to South Africa's poultry industry.