On Jan. 6, 2025, an elderly man from Louisiana became the first recorded American human fatality from the H5N1 virus, more commonly referred to as bird flu or avian influenza. Bird flu is a highly lethal respiratory virus most common in poultry and some wild bird species. Only rarely is it able to infect humans, however when the bird flu does infect a human, the intensity can vary from mild to fatal. The disease is spread by infected birds to other birds and some animals through their feces, sneezes, and other body fluids.
The virus has had disastrous consequences for the United State’s farmers. In the last three months of 2024 alone, more than 20 million laying-hens died of bird flu. Still, a large portion of the fear surrounding this epidemic is centered around the risk of the virus infecting people and pets. “I’m worried about my cats getting bird flu,” says Enloe sophomore Elise Snider. “They’re outdoors, and I don’t know much about the virus.”
Fortunately, the virus currently poses little threat to Americans. Although Hyde County, North Carolina has been ravaged by an H5N1 outbreak affecting more than three million birds (the sixth worst U.S. outbreak on record and the worst of 2025 so far), the virus has no capability to efficiently or effectively spread human-to-human. Birds are tested for Avian influenza before having their meat or eggs sold at the grocery store; this means that if you’re not working with poultry, your personal risk of infection is near nil.
Most U.S. cases have also been mild. In the case of the single human fatality, Samuel Mwangi, Assistant Professor of Poultry Health and Flock Management at NC State University, notes that “ the person was around 65, had exposure to a combination of non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds, and then there was an underlying medical condition.” The virus has killed just one American despite there being over 60 confirmed cases, a fatality rate significantly lower than that which has been observed around the world. Experts are still not clear on the exact reason for this lower mortality.
Bird flu comes in two common forms: highly pathogenic (high path) and low pathogenic (low path). “Low path avian influenza, the bird may experience low energy and appetite, but for the most part, you’re going to see it recover.” says Mwangi. “High path, you’re usually going to see sudden death without prior signs.” High path bird flu spreads efficiently among poultry, to the point where “by the time you realize there’s a disease going on, then it’s already spread across most of the livestock.”
There’s no effective procedure for a bird infected with high path avian flu besides killing the infected birds and all other livestock that they have been in contact with. This means hefty monetary costs for the farmers, which spreads to consumer fees in the grocery store; the average cost of eggs in the United States shot up over 30 percent in 2024. Despite these negative effects, as of right now, there is no other workable solution. A vaccine exists, but it is not widespread. An affordable, effective cure isn’t likely to be produced.
Odds are, you’re not going to get sick of bird flu, and neither are your pets. Still, you should be sure to properly cook poultry, eggs, meat, and game bird meat. Additionally, you should avoid feeding your pets raw poultry products that could be contaminated.
Milk, egg, and poultry meat prices are rising rapidly and the disease shows no sign of slowing down. Still, scientists are restlessly working towards a solution so that our birds can thrive. Mwangi ends with a message of optimism: “ We are constantly developing other strategies [to handle avian influenza]… people are going to get better with how they manage [avian influenza], and we’ll be able to have a better handle on it.”
