The H5N1 virus has mutated meaning it has begun to adapt to infect humans better raising new questions about H5N1's pandemic potential.

The CDC is calling for expanded testing of bird flu after a child in California tested positive for the virus despite no known contact with animals.

Due to ongoing sporadic H5N1 avian flu infections and brisk levels of seasonal flu activity, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today urged healthcare providers to subtype all influenza A specimens in hospitalized patients, especially those in the intensive care unit (ICU), as soon as possible.

Avian flu is rampant in poultry farms and in wild birds in the U.S. Every mutation brings the virus one step closer to the brink of human-to-human transmission, but predicting whether a virus will cross that threshold remains an uncertain science.

Bird flu is a disease caused by avian influenza A viruses, according to the CDC. The virus mostly spreads between birds and dairy cows, but there have been 67 human cases of bird flu nationwide and one death tied to the infection since 2024, CDC records show.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging health care workers to accelerate bird flu testing for patients hospitalized with flu symptoms.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture Animal Industry Division is again urging commercial poultry operations and backyard bird owners to increase biosecurity measures to protect their flocks from avian influenza.

There have been 14 recorded cases of avian influenza among humans in Washington, but none in Clark County. Local health officials still consider the risk to the general public to be low.

The Putnam County Health Department said humans who do not come into direct contact with sick animals are considered low risk for exposure.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is expanding its collection efforts of wild bird carcasses amid the highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Bird feeders are an easy way to support and attract wildlife to your garden, offering seeds, nuts and fruit to songbirds throughout the year. As you might have seen on the news, however, with the ongoing outbreak of avian influenza - or bird flu - feeding stations can pose a health risk.