Overview

• The H7N9 bird flu strain has been detected on a poultry farm in Mississippi, marking the first U.S. outbreak of this strain since 2017.
• The H5N1 bird flu strain, which has spread globally, has now been found in mammals, including dairy cows, fueling concerns about its potential to infect humans.
• The World Health Organization reports that H7N9 has a high human fatality rate globally but does not easily transmit between people.
• Mass culling of birds in response to outbreaks has disrupted food supplies, contributed to record-high egg prices, and raised questions about the effectiveness of current containment strategies.
• Experts are urging governments to strengthen biosecurity and surveillance as scientists warn that the virus's spread in mammals increases the chances of it evolving to infect humans.