Bird Flu Cases Surge in US Livestock While H5 Vaccine Trial Begins

# Bird Flu Update Health authorities across the United States continue monitoring avian influenza activity as new cases emerge in livestock and poultry operations. The CDC reports no new human cases of bird flu this week, maintaining the current situation where human-to-human transmission of H5 virus has not been identified in the United States. On the animal front, Idaho dairy herds have tested positive for H5N1 avian flu, marking the first cattle detections since December 2025. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, over the past 30 days, 41 confirmed avian flu outbreaks were documented across domestic flocks, including 27 in commercial settings and 14 in backyard premises, affecting 1.6 million birds. Recent commercial poultry operations reporting outbreaks include facilities in South Dakota and Arkansas, with the Arkansas outbreak impacting over 191,000 broiler chickens. In Southeast Georgia, a highly pathogenic avian influenza case was confirmed in a backyard flock of approximately 60 birds in Pierce County. Officials believe the virus likely came from contact with wild birds. The flock has been depopulated to prevent further spread, with no commercial poultry or dairy operations within six miles of the affected site. On the vaccine front, Moderna announced Tuesday that the first participants in the United States and United Kingdom have received doses in a Phase 3 trial of its H5 messenger RNA vaccine candidate, mRNA-1018. The study aims to enroll about 4,000 healthy adults. This development comes after the Trump administration canceled hundreds of millions in government contracts with Moderna in May 2025. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has since stepped in with up to 54.3 million dollars in funding support. Notably, most trial work is taking place in the United Kingdom, with 3,000 of 4,000 volunteers and 26 of 36 trial sites located there. Meanwhile, the CDC reports that seasonal influenza activity continues to decrease nationwide. The agency estimates at least 31 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from seasonal flu during the current 2025-2026 season. Approximately 135 million doses of influenza vaccine have been distributed across the United States. Thank you for tuning in to this bird flu update. Be sure to come back next week for more developments. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more information, check out Quiet Please dot A I. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta