Bird Flu Updates: Ongoing Spread and Impacts (January 1, 2025)

Hi 👋

Here's your latest in-depth bird flu news roundup, with detailed coverage of recent developments.You can also check out our live situation dashboard at birdfluwatcher.com for real-time updates

Table of Contents

• Latest Developments

• Scientific Research & Development

• Public Health Updates

• Economic Impacts

• Agricultural Impacts

• Wildlife & Pet Safety

• Looking Ahead

Latest Developments

• The FDA announced it will begin testing aged raw cow's milk cheeses for the presence of bird flu virus, citing potential food safety risks. [Source] 

• Health officials reported up to 5 house cats in Los Angeles County tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after consuming contaminated raw pet food. Another brand was recalled. [Source] 

• A commercial chicken breeding facility in Copiah County, Mississippi detected a bird flu outbreak, leading to the culling of the infected flock. [Source] 

Scientific Research & Development

Viral Evolution:

• Researchers studying the H5N1 case in a Canadian teenager found "worrisome" mutations that could increase human-to-human transmission risk, though current strain remains poorly adapted to humans. [Source]

Vaccine Development:

• Stanford researchers made a breakthrough in universal flu vaccine design that could accelerate development of updated H5N1 vaccines if needed. [Source] 

Public Health Updates

Current Risk Level:

• While the overall human risk remains low, health authorities expressed heightened concern over the rising number and severity of human H5N1 cases globally in late 2024. [Source]

• The virus shows increasing ability to cause severe disease and even death in humans, though it still spreads inefficiently between people for now. [Source]

Transmission Patterns:

• Bird-to-bird transmission remained the primary driver, with occasional spillover events to mammals like cats likely due to exposure to infected poultry or contaminated raw food products. [Source]

Updated Guidance:

• Public health officials reiterated warnings against feeding raw pet foods to cats and dogs due to disease risks like bird flu. [Source]

Economic Impacts

• The ongoing bird flu outbreak continued to impact the U.S. egg supply, driving prices up to nearly $9 per dozen in some California stores. [Source]

• Egg shortages were also reported in New Hampshire due to the outbreak's effects on production. [Source]

Agricultural Impacts

• A major egg production facility housing over 930,000 chickens in Darke County, Ohio was impacted by bird flu. [Source]

• Dairy farmers across Arizona remained on high alert to prevent viral spread to their operations. [Source]

Wildlife & Pet Safety

• Dead waterfowl like geese and swans found in parts of Ohio were "presumed positive" for avian influenza, suggesting ongoing wildlife spread. [Source] [Source]

• The Los Angeles cases demonstrated cats' vulnerability to H5N1 infection, likely from contaminated food. [Source]

Looking Ahead

• Experts predict the outbreak's geographic spread and number of impacted poultry facilities will likely continue rising in the near-term. [Source]

• Human cases may increase if the virus accumulates more mutations facilitating human transmission. [Source]

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to track this high-stakes outbreak. Wishing you a safe and healthy start to 2025!

P.S. We just set up a report suspected bird flu cases feature! Your submissions help generate a crowdsourced map that supplements official data. By sharing your observations, you enable the community to stay informed and proactive.

Jennifer