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7h ago

CDC Winds Down H5N1 Emergency, Integrates Bird Flu Tracking Into Routine Surveillance

Avian flu tracking is moving into CDC’s routine influenza programs with animal case updates handed off to the USDA in a return to standard operations.

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 after animal infections declined and no human cases have been reported since February 2025.
  • Surveillance, readiness and response for influenza, including H5N1, will continue under the CDC’s influenza division and partner agency programs.
  • Future H5N1 updates will be folded into monthly seasonal influenza reports, simplifying public health communications.
  • Animal infection detections will no longer appear on the CDC website and will instead be published on the USDA’s platform.
  • Former CDC deputy director Dr. Nirav Shah says the emergency apparatus can be reactivated within hours, but experts warn that scaling back could delay detection of dangerous viral changes.