--- title: Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu? description: H5N1 bird flu continues to spread among animals. Is it time for the U.S. public to worry about bird flu? Here's what to know about the risk. canonical: https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-11-13T20:14:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:48:27.363Z article:section: Health og:title: Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu? og:description: Health officials say risk remains low—but that could change. og:url: https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04dd1e5aa0ed7921/698a9c29e6e84a43ee2ba0cf/bird-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: A dairy farm worker is pictured with farm equipment. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu? twitter:description: Health officials say risk remains low—but that could change. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04dd1e5aa0ed7921/698a9c29e6e84a43ee2ba0cf/bird-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu? > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=972f6a7e-4d5e-446a-a04a-3c06b98e06a4&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Bird Flu: What's At Risk For You [Watch (HLS stream): Bird Flu: What's At Risk For You](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/h7ByYR2R.m3u8) (4:43)  _Published 2025-01-16. You’ve probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately. So, what is it? Do you need to worry, and can you protect yourself? TIME Senior Correspondent Alice Park explains this latest outbreak of bird flu - also called H5N1 Avian Influenza - after officials reported the first death from virus in the U.S._  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 13, 2024 8:14 PM UTC  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 13, 2024 8:14 PM UTC [H5N1 avian influenza](https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html), more commonly known as bird flu, has infected more than 100 million birds in the U.S. and almost 500 dairy cattle herds across 15 states. The virus has popped up in mammals including elephant seals, goats, foxes, and house cats. Despite its prolific spread among animals, federal health authorities maintain that the risk to the U.S. public remains low. There have only been 46 confirmed human cases in the U.S. during the current outbreak. All but one of those people had a known exposure to affected poultry or cattle, [according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html) (CDC), and all of their illnesses were mild. The [CDC says](https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/h5n1-response-11012024.html) there is no evidence that the virus is spreading from person to person at this time. Recent news, however, has some people feeling uneasy. On Nov. 12, Canadian health authorities [announced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/12/bird-flu-canada-teen/) that an otherwise healthy teenager there who caught bird flu from an unknown source is in critical condition and struggling to breathe, underscoring the illness’ potential severity—and its sometimes-mysterious spread. **Read More**: [_8 Things You Should Do for Your Bones Every Day, According to Orthopedic Doctors_](https://time.com/7160971/how-to-improve-bone-health/) In October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also raised alarm bells when it [announced](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/federal-state-veterinary-agencies-share-update-hpai-detections-oregon) that a pig in Oregon had tested positive. That’s a worrying development, because pigs can be infected with swine, human, and bird flu viruses, making them prime “mixing vessels,” says Meghan Davis, an associate professor of environmental health and engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. If a pig were to be infected with multiple types of influenza at the same time, the viruses could potentially combine to form a new strain capable of spreading widely among humans, Davis explains. [That’s what happened](https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2016/researchers-discover-the-2009-swine-flu-pandemic-originated-in-mexico) during the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic. “There are a lot of things I worry about,” Davis says. “This is one of them.” Another cause for concern: flu season is underway in the U.S., and as seasonal influenza virus goes around, “humans, ourselves, could be a mixing vessel,” Davis says. If a person were simultaneously infected with bird flu and seasonal flu, the two viruses could theoretically combine to create a more transmissible strain. The good news is that, as of now, there’s no evidence that the avian virus has undergone significant-enough changes to [easily infect and spread among humans](https://time.com/6981144/can-i-get-bird-flu/), says Troy Sutton, an assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences at Penn State University. Why have some people gotten sick at all, if the virus isn’t good at infecting humans? At a high-enough dose—if a [farm worker](https://time.com/6987552/bird-flu-farm-workers/) is in close contact with sick animals, for example—the virus can sometimes get into human cells, even though it’s not built to do exactly that, Sutton says. But, crucially for public health, the virus doesn’t seem to have evolved in a way that makes it easy for those who get sick to pass on the illness to others. That seems to be, in part, because the virus isn’t good at growing in the human nose, Sutton says. The seasonal flu is highly contagious because it takes root in the upper respiratory tract. When a sick person coughs, sneezes, or even talks, they may expel infectious respiratory droplets. The bird flu virus isn’t as prevalent in the upper airways, which seems to make it less transmissible among humans, Sutton says. That’s not to say respiratory spread is impossible, though. Two recent studies in ferrets—[one](https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/ah5n1-ferret-study-results.html) by researchers at the CDC, and [one](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08254-7) led by a researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison—raised that possibility. The researchers isolated the bird flu strain that sickened the [first person infected](https://time.com/6962418/bird-flu-human-case-us/) in the current outbreak and tested how infectious it was among ferrets. Although it wasn’t as contagious as the seasonal flu, the bird flu virus was capable of spreading among ferrets by droplets, the researchers found. But there are important caveats, Sutton says. Ferrets—while commonly used in influenza research—are not a perfect parallel for humans. And the studied strain is similar but not identical to the one spreading widely among cows right now. Overall, the CDC [concluded](https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/ah5n1-ferret-study-results.html), “the virus still is not capable of spreading efficiently among people via respiratory droplets compared to seasonal influenza viruses.” Still, health authorities are getting ready in case that situation changes. In October, the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) [gave $72 million to pharmaceutical companies](https://aspr.hhs.gov/newsroom/Pages/ASPR-Next-Steps-Against-H5-Influenza.aspx) that make H5 influenza vaccines, directing them to use the funds to get shots prepped “should they be needed now or in the future,” according to an agency statement. ASPR representatives said they took that step out of an "abundance of caution.” Federal health officials have not recommended that anyone get [vaccinated against H5N1](https://time.com/6991893/is-there-a-bird-flu-vaccine-h5n1/), and shots are not publicly available. Getting a regular seasonal flu shot does not protect against bird flu, but it’s a [good idea to get one anyway](https://time.com/7024386/when-to-get-flu-shot-2024/)—especially for people who work or regularly come into contact with animals. The CDC also recommends that farm workers wear personal protective equipment, such as masks and goggles, and take flu antivirals as soon as possible in case of exposure. But for the general public, health authorities say, there’s not much to do at this point. Just refrain from drinking raw milk (since the [virus can persist without pasteurization](https://time.com/6988603/bird-flu-milk-pasteurization/)), avoid touching dead or sick animals, and get your seasonal flu shot. ## Transcript You've probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately. New cases of the bird flu are raising alarms among health officials America's first severe human case of h5n1 bird flu. So what is it? Do you need to worry and can you protect yourself? Bird flu is also called h5n1 Avian Influenza. This recent outbreak began in 2024, and what has experts concerned is that it's not only infected millions of birds, but the virus has also spread to dairy cattle and other mammals, including goats, foxes, and house cats. And increasingly, it's been diagnosed in humans. A US man over age 65 with other health conditions became the first to die with h5n1 infection in early 2025. Breaking tonight the nation's first human death from the bird flu just reported. Down from Louisiana here. The Department of Health There. Listen to this. The first person has died from bird flu. Genetic analysis of the virus from that man suggests that h5n1 mutated in his body after he became infected. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said these mutations are concerning, but not a cause for alarm. Yet, symptoms of h5n1 infection can resemble those of more common illnesses. Many of the people in the US who have caught bird flu are farm workers who have come into direct contact with infected cattle or poultry. They have developed relatively mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis like eye issues, eye redness, and discharge from the eyes. Dairy workers who milk infected cows are especially at risk, since the virus can enter their eyes from milk that sprays into their face. Bird flu can also cause respiratory and classic flu like symptoms, including cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, and even pneumonia, the CDC says. As bird flu continues to spread, work on a vaccine is underway to protect the public in the event of a pandemic. Several companies, including Maderna, Pfizer, and Glaxo Smith Kline, which is working with Kvak are developing an MRNA vaccine, using the same technology that was used in the COVID 19 shots. In July, the US government awarded Maderna $176 million to develop its updated MRNA h5n vaccine. All of these MRNA vaccine candidates are in early stages of testing in people for safety and efficacy. In 2024, scientists led by a team at the CDC reported that an MRNA based h5n1 vaccine helped ferrets generate strong antibody responses against the virus. Vaccinated animals survived a lethal dose of the virus while unvaccinated ferrets died from their infection. While creating an MRNA vaccine can be done quickly, testing the shot in clinical trials will take longer. So in the meantime, several existing vaccines, which don't use MRNA technology, but do target previous strains of h5n1 exist in the national stockpile. Health experts expect they would still provide some protection against severe disease. Because the virus is spreading among poultry and dairy cattle, the outbreaks are leading to egg rationing and shortages and have led to higher prices. While milk prices are not expected to go up, the US FDA now tests for the virus in commercial milk and other dairy products on a regular basis. The agency also advises staying away from raw milk, which is not pasteurized, a process that can kill the virus. Some experts believe dairy workers and others who have close contact with animals likely to be infected, such as poultry and cattle, should be vaccinated to protect them from infection. The CDC says that the risk of bird flu is still low for the general public. And currently there are no recommendations for anyone in the US to get vaccinated against h5n1. As with all viruses, experts caution that everyone wash their hands carefully, avoid touching their face, and wear a mask if they may come in contact with infected animals. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/"},"headline":"Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu?","datePublished":"2024-11-13T20:14:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:48:27.363Z","description":"Health officials say risk remains low—but that could change.","url":"https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/","keywords":["Bird Flu","healthscienceclimate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04dd1e5aa0ed7921/698a9c29e6e84a43ee2ba0cf/bird-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04dd1e5aa0ed7921/698a9c29e6e84a43ee2ba0cf/bird-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A dairy farm worker is pictured with farm equipment.","caption":"A dairy farm worker is pictured with farm equipment.","creditText":"Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/bird-flu/","name":"Bird Flu"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7176238/bird-flu-should-you-worry/","name":"Is It Time to Worry About Bird Flu?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Bird Flu: What's At Risk For You","description":"You’ve probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately. 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