Bird flu or avian influenza cases in humans are on the rise in the US sparking fear of another pandemic similar to Covid-19. Four dairy workers have tested positive for H5N1 strain in the country amid massive spread of the virus in dairy cows. While there have been no cases of human-to-human spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 so far, the pathogen could evolve to infect humans more efficiently.
Bird flu cases in cows had been unheard of till this year's outbreak. The first known cases of infected dairy cattle were observed in Texas in March; it has now grown to dairy herds in 12 states. According to United States Department of Agriculture (USA), 151 dairy cow herds have confirmed cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infections in dairy cows as the number of infected herds continues to grow. Since 2022, USDA APHIS has reported HPAI A(H5N1) virus detections in more than 200 mammals in the USA.
