According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 67 confirmed human cases of the H5 bird flu since the 2024 outbreak began. Finley Delouche/Getty Images hide caption
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Finley Delouche/Getty Images
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 67 confirmed human cases of the H5 bird flu since the 2024 outbreak began.
Finley Delouche/Getty Images
Bird flu or avian influenza is continuing to spread among livestock and other mammals in the United States, raising fears that another pandemic is in our future. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy cattle, and there have been over 65 human cases in the U.S. during this outbreak.
While cases have been largely mild, scientists like Dr. Jesse Goodman, an infectious disease physician at Georgetown University and former FDA official, warn it could evolve and become more dangerous.
"This is like some brush burning around your house," he says. "You better pay attention because it could turn into something else."
The majority of human infections have come from close contact with infected animals, so risk to the public is still considered low. But the virus raises questions about how the U.S. may prepare for the possibility of another pandemic.
Read more of health correspondent Will Stone's reporting here.
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Today's episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Robert Rodriguez was the audio engineer.