UF EPI launches bird flu team to research H5N1 and assist Florida’s response

The University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute has assembled a multidisciplinary working group to research a swiftly spreading bird flu strain and help prepare Florida’s response to potential outbreaks. 

A subtype of avian influenza known as H5N1 has quickly spread worldwide, impacting hundreds of bird species and nearly 50 species of mammals, including humans – often lethally. About 50% of the people with a confirmed H5N1 infection have died from the virus. It is also highly pathogenic to poultry, decimating flocks within hours.  

H5N1 is now rippling through the U.S. agricultural industry, infecting dairy cows, chickens and the people who work with them. H5N1 has been identified in nearly 200 dairy herds in 13 states since March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Agricultural workers on U.S. dairy and poultry farms are vulnerable to infection, with 14 cases identified thus far. There have been no known deaths from H5N1 in the U.S.