Although bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans, sporadic human infections have occurred. It is important to note that “highly pathogenic” refers to severe impact in birds, not necessarily in humans.

On March 25, 2024, immediately following the first detection of H5N1 in dairy cattle in the Texas panhandle region, USDA and HHS began their work to understand the origin of the emergence and its potential impact in bovines and humans.

CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus has so far shown no signs of adapting to allow human-to-human transmission, the UN health agency said on Wednesday, urging continued surveillance.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the public in early April that an individual in Texas had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu.

With promising developments in the field of respiratory viral infections, the conference sessions covered hot topics on seasonal, pandemic, and zoonotic influenza viruses, as well as other respiratory viruses such as RSV and SARS-CoV-2.

A scientific report by EFSA and the ECDC assesses the risk factors for a potential influenza pandemic and related mitigation measures.

The decision came following two weeks of intensive country-led discussions on critical subjects aimed at making all countries of the world better prepared for, and able to effectively and equitably respond to, future pandemics.

Two final – and likely sleepless – weeks of negotiation on the pandemic agreement began on Monday 18 March, and negotiators have been urged to bring in their principals to ensure speed up decision-making.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on how we must prepare now to counter the threat of a future pandemic.

The stamping-out strategy has been used to control highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in many countries.

People living in the United States are more likely to report that their government handled the COVID-19 pandemic ‘well’ than any other G7 nation despite having the highest death rate, according to a new report from the Global Listening Project.