The avian influenza/bird flu crisis apparently is over. A number of media reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended its emergency response to H5N1 bird flu outbreaks and said on July 7 future updates on the virus will be parts of routine reports on seasonal influenza.
A spokesperson for the Dept. of Health and Human Services, CDC’s parent, said the response was "deactivated to transition back to regular program activity" July 2 due to the decline in animal infections and no human cases being reported since February.
USDA data on HPAI detections in animals will no longer be reported on the CDC website. These data can be found on USDA's website.
Since 2024, government agencies have confirmed 70 cases of human infection by highly pathogenic avian influenza, including 41 that came from dairy herds, 24 from poultry farms and culling operations, two from exposure to other animals and three where the exposure source is unknown. Apparently only one person, believed to be man in Louisiana man with underlying health conditions, died after contracting the disease.
It’s estimated more than 160 million commercial poultry, wild birds and backyard poultry have died or been killed in the U.S. since February 2022, which is when the outbreak is believed to have started; 20 million in the first quarter of this year.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.