Bird Flu

Avian influenza is affecting poultry flocks, wild waterfowl, marine mammals, bears, foxes, leopards, cows, cats, dogs and humans, among other species. What’s behind such a high rate of interspecies transmission?

The researchers say the device could keep farmers from having to cull their flocks when they detect the contagious virus, which has affected more than 5 million birds in Missouri since 2022.

Avian flu has been found in 13 of Missouri's commercial poultry producers and egg farm flocks in the last month. Close to 400,000 birds in commercial flocks have been affected in the state.

Each week some revelation about bird flu seems to flutter through the news cycle. Here's what the latest research is saying about how it is spreading and how to keep yourself and your pets safe.

The agency tested the blood of health care workers who had been in contact with a Missouri patient who tested positive for the virus without animal contact.

A routine flu screening in late summer found the H5N1 virus in a Missouri patient. Unlike the other reported cases, this person did not report being in recent contact with animals.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting that egg prices will decrease in the coming months. But experts said that all depends on whether there are any further bird flu outbreaks.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services detected the first human case of H5 bird flu in Missouri. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case. Infection transmission among the public remains low.

Four months after the first reported cases of bird flu in dairy cows, the price of milk and demand for it have largely remained unchanged. Industry experts say whether that remains the case will depend on how far and how quickly cases spread.

With bird flu spilling into dairies across the U.S., several Midwestern states have ramped up efforts to curb the virus. Few have expanded testing requirements like Iowa.