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3w ago

CDC Ends H5N1 Bird Flu Emergency, Moves Oversight Into Routine Flu Surveillance

Declining infections coupled with no recent human cases have prompted the agency to fold H5N1 oversight into routine influenza tracking.

US Bird Flu-Duck Farm. Ducks walk around their barn at the Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, N.Y., Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A sign of the CDC is seen on a podium during the meeting of the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory panel for vaccines convenes in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. June 25, 2025.  REUTERS/Megan Varner
CDC data shows 70 human bird flu cases were reported in the U.S. Photo: Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images
Influenza A H5N1/bird flu virus particles round and rod-shaped red and yellow. Creative composition and colorization/effects by NIAID transmission electron micrograph imagery is courtesy of CDC. (Imago via Zuma Press/TNS)

Overview

  • The CDC deactivated its H5N1 emergency response on July 2, 2025, after animal infections declined and no human cases were reported since February.
  • Future updates on H5N1 will be merged into the CDC’s seasonal influenza reports, with monthly human monitoring data published and animal case details provided by the USDA.
  • Since April 2024, H5N1 has infected nearly 175 million birds and spread to over 1,000 dairy herds across 17 states, while 70 human cases—including one fatality—were confirmed.
  • States most impacted, including California and Washington, have ended or scaled back their own emergency measures following similar declines in infections.
  • Officials say the current public health risk is low but experts warn migratory bird patterns could trigger a surge in H5N1 cases this fall.