Bird Flu Outbreak Slows in the US: CDC Ends Emergency Response

In the past 24 hours, the United States has seen a continued decline in bird flu activity, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing recently that it is ending its emergency response efforts due to falling case numbers and limited new detections. According to CDC spokespersons and recent coverage by Farm Policy News, there are currently no known human cases of bird flu in the US. Since the beginning of the outbreak in 2022, there have been 70 human cases and one death recorded nationally, with no human-to-human transmission identified. The risk to the general public remains low, but experts emphasize that people with direct exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments are still at elevated risk. Animal outbreaks in the US have also slowed considerably. The USDA confirmed only one new case in cattle in Arizona and two in total since June. For poultry, just three new outbreaks have occurred in the past month—affecting flocks in Arizona, Idaho, and Pennsylvania and resulting in the loss of about 30,000 birds. The last large-scale poultry outbreak took place in May, when several million birds in Arizona were impacted. On the regulatory front, the CDC has shifted bird flu updates from emergency response to routine influenza reporting. Data on animal outbreaks is now centralized with the USDA, while human case updates will appear monthly through regular flu surveillance channels. More than 18,600 individuals have been monitored following exposure to infected animals, and over 880 have been tested to date. Although several bird-flu vaccines have been approved by the FDA, none have been deployed during this outbreak. Despite declining numbers, some infectious disease experts express concern that reduced vigilance might leave the US vulnerable if the virus mutates or spreads more easily among humans. Ongoing surveillance and prompt action remain essential. Internationally, the picture is less stable. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, there have been over 400 animal outbreaks of avian influenza with zoonotic potential worldwide since late April. Notably, Cambodia has reported a surge in human infections, with 11 cases and six deaths so far this year—an unusual spike that experts link to ongoing challenges in biosecurity and surveillance at the human-animal interface. A new development in the US includes the detection of the H5N9 bird flu strain at a California duck farm, marking the first such case nationally. While H5N9 has not resulted in any human infections in the US and is considered less dangerous than other strains, authorities remain on high alert. Thank you for tuning in to this bird flu update. Come back next week for the latest headlines and information. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out QuietPlease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.