This information is up to date as of May 29, 2024 at 12 pm EDT.
Here is what’s new and what we know about the current HPAI/H5N1/avian/bird flu situation (We know, we know, how many names can one virus have?! Jeesh! In this post we will call it the avian flu unless quoting another source.)
In a nutshell:
⚫ According to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) “H5N1 Bird Flu: Current Situation Summary”:
🔸 Dairy Cows: 9 states affected, 67 dairy herds
🔸 Wild Birds: 9,373 from 2022 to May 28, 2024. If this number seems low to you, you are not alone. Testing and tracking activities could be improved among all species, including humans.
🔸 Poultry: 92,343,826 birds (from 2022 to 5/23/2024) across 48 states (To provide context on the overall size of the U.S. poultry flock, in 2023 there were more than 378.5 million egg-laying chickens and over 9 billion broiler chickens.)
🔸 Wild Mammals: Isolated and scattered, from red fox to grey seal. See map here.
🔸 People: 2 known cases in the U.S. since April 2024, one got an eye infection, and one had fatigue as the only symptom, both are ok now.
🔸 *Person-to-person spread*: None
🔸 Current public health risk: Low
⚫ Avian flu has been found in samples of raw milk. Mice fed raw milk with avian flu got sick with avian flu.
⚫ On May 22, 2024, out of 96 infected dairy cows, one dairy cow’s muscle was shown to have viral particles. Because of *already-in-place* inspection practices, none of this meat made it to the US food supply. See our post about risk reduction when consuming meat and other risk-reducing recommendations.
⚫ Avian flu can spread between species but we have seen *NO* human-to-human transmission yet.
⚫ See cool infographic here about how it is spreading.
This data is updated daily on the CDC’s website here, Monday- Friday, after 4 p.m. to reflect any new data.
Bottom line:
For now, the risk to humans is low. Each day we are getting more information and that is helping our understanding. But there is still a lot we do not know. Welcome to a day in the life of a human working in or curious about science 🤓!
We do have sensible tips on how you can stay safe while we all learn more:
✅ Avoid consuming raw dairy products
✅ Cook your beef to at least 145℉ for whole cuts, 160℉ for ground meats (these are the USDA general recommendations, regardless of the current avian flu situation).
✅ Cook your poultry to 165℉
✅ Avoid contact with sick or dead wild animals
✅ If you have a pet dog or cat don’t allow them to play with sick or dead birds
✅ Songbird feeders – As of May 23, 2024, there is no official recommendation to take them down, as songbirds are at a lower risk from avian flu. If you *also* have domestic/backyard poultry, they may be at heightened risk from songbird feeders.
✅ Handwashing with soap and water is always a good bet and is good practice anyway
✅ Find more prevention advice here.
We are checking for updates and reading your questions frequently. Keep ‘em coming!
Stay safe, stay well,
Those Nerdy Girls &+
