Overview

• The Mississippi Board of Animal Health confirmed the H7N9 strain in a commercial poultry flock of over 47,000 chickens in Noxubee County, with containment measures underway.
• This marks the first U.S. outbreak of H7N9 in commercial poultry since 2017, with no birds from the affected flock entering the food supply.
• The H5N1 bird flu continues to spread globally, leading to over 166 million poultry culled in the U.S. and rising cases in mammals, including domestic cats.
• The USDA has launched a $1 billion plan to combat bird flu and address its economic impacts, including soaring egg prices and threats to rural livelihoods.
• While the risk of human-to-human transmission for both H5N1 and H7N9 remains low, experts emphasize the need for enhanced surveillance and biosecurity measures.