What to know
- H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
- While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures.
- CDC is using its flu surveillance systems to monitor for H5 bird flu activity in people.
Current situation
H5N1 Bird Flu Human Cases in U.S.
On July 7, 2025, CDC streamlined H5N1 bird flu updates with routine influenza data updates and updated reporting cadences to reflect the current public health situation. As such, the following changes were made to this page:
- Data on the number of people monitored and tested for bird flu are reported monthly.
- 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.
National situation summary
Person-to-person spread
There is no known person-to-person spread at this time.
Current public health risk
The current public health risk is Low.
Cases in the U.S.
70 cases
Deaths in U.S.
1 death
Situation summary of confirmed and probable human cases since 2024
National Total Cases: 70
| Cases | Exposure Source |
|---|---|
| 41 | Dairy Herds (Cattle)* |
| 24 | Poultry Farms and Culling Operations* |
| 2 | Other Animal Exposure† |
| 3 | Exposure Source Unknown‡ |
NOTE: One additional case was previously detected in a poultry worker in Colorado in 2022. Louisiana reported the first H5 bird flu death in the U.S.
*Exposure Associated with Commercial Agriculture and Related Operations
†Exposure was related to other animals such as backyard flocks, wild birds, or other mammals
‡Exposure source was not able to be identified
| LocationSort by Location in descending order | Total CasesSort by Total Cases in descending order | Dairy Herds (Cattle)*Sort by Dairy Herds (Cattle)* in descending order | Poultry Farms and Culling Operations*Sort by Poultry Farms and Culling Operations* in descending order | Other Animal Exposure†Sort by Other Animal Exposure† in descending order | Exposure Source Unknown‡Sort by Exposure Source Unknown‡ in descending order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California | 38 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Colorado | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Iowa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Michigan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Missouri | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Nevada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ohio | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Oregon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Texas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Washington | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
When a case tests positive for H5 at a public health laboratory but testing at CDC is not able to confirm H5 infection, per Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) guidance, a case is reported as probable.
National flu surveillance (since February 25, 2024)
Note: National flu surveillance data will be updated on the first Friday of every month.
Specimens tested
201,714+ specimens tested that would have detected influenza A(H5) or other novel influenza viruses
Human cases
6 case detected through national flu surveillance
Targeted H5 surveillance (since March 24, 2024)
Note: Targeted H5 surveillance data will be updated on the first Friday of every month.
Detections in Animals
For data on HPAI detections in animals, visit the USDA website.