Avian Flu Update: U.S. Sees Low Human Risk, Surveillance Continues Amid Agricultural Concerns cover art

Avian Flu Update: U.S. Sees Low Human Risk, Surveillance Continues Amid Agricultural Concerns

Avian Flu Update: U.S. Sees Low Human Risk, Surveillance Continues Amid Agricultural Concerns

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 It’s Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Here’s your bird flu update.

In the U.S., CDC’s latest FluView update for Week 31 reports no confirmed new human infections with avian influenza A(H5) this week and continues to assess the public health risk as low, with overall influenza activity minimal nationwide. According to CDC, pediatric flu deaths for the 2024–25 season reached a record for a non-pandemic year, but these are unrelated to H5 and reflect seasonal influenza patterns. CDC also notes several recent U.S. A(H5) detections in humans where the virus could not be isolated to determine the neuraminidase subtype, underscoring ongoing surveillance challenges.

The CDC’s global H5N1 human case curve, updated August 8, shows sporadic human infections since 2021’s shift to the current clade, with U.S. cases remaining rare and generally mild, and no sustained human-to-human transmission reported. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s Week 32 threats report, as of August 7, tallies 990 human H5N1 cases and 474 deaths globally since 2003, noting that reported case fatality may overestimate risk due to underdetection of mild infections.

In U.S. agriculture, concerns persist over H5N1’s impact on poultry and cattle. The Council on Foreign Relations notes that avian flu has been detected in 48 states and previously affected more than 82 million poultry; spillover to dairy cattle has reduced milk yields in affected herds, though supplies remain stable. Policy debates intensified after Global Biodefense reported last week that HHS canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine development funding, prompting expert warnings about overreliance on egg-based vaccine production that could be strained during avian outbreaks.

Wildlife surveillance remains active. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds update through August 2025 lists more than 12,700 detections in U.S. wild birds since 2022 across many species, with ongoing guidance that transmission to humans remains rare and that normal backyard feeder practices can continue with hygiene and regional advisories. Environmental Health News reported yesterday that since 2020 H5N1 has impacted hundreds of bird species and dozens of mammal species across most continents, reflecting the virus’s broad ecological reach.

Bottom line: U.S. human risk remains low; surveillance and farm biosecurity are focused on limiting spillover, while preparedness discussions center on vaccine capacity and supply chains.

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