What started as a mystery disease in one cattle herd in Texas in March and quickly confirmed as Avian Influenza A H5N1 has now quickly grown to 36 herds across nine states in the U.S. With wider testing of cattle herds ongoing, this number is likely to go up significantly.
Two avian Influenza H5N1 lineages have been spreading across the world. The Influenza A H5N1 lineage 2.3.4.4.b that emerged in 2022 spread across all continents except Australia, affecting and decimating several avian species. The outbreak has pushed many avian species to the verge of extinction and has spilled over to over a hundred mammalian species to date.
It is important to note that the recent outbreak in the U.S. is not solely affecting cattle; farm cats have also been significantly impacted. A total of seven cats have been documented to be infected in the cattle farms. Unlike cattle, cats infected with the virus exhibited severe symptoms, including neurological ones. While there’s one documented case of a human with mild symptoms who had close contact with infected animals, the risk appears low.
