Avian Influenza A(H5) Outbreak | Center for Outbreak Response Innovation

Current US Outbreak

Since the last update on October 3, 2024:

CDC and the California Department of Health have reported six cases human cases of H5 bird flu in California According to CDC all six California cases experienced mild symptoms such as eye redness (conjunctivitis), and none were hospitalized. The cases have no known close contact to one another, suggesting separate instances of animal-to-human spread of the virus. In the public announcement CDC reported that additional virus characterization would be forthcoming.
No new information has been reported regarding the Missouri H5 case investigation. Serology findings for the case and contact are still pending and additional information on potential transmission routes for the one confirmed case remain unknown.
CDC and CORI maintain that the risk to the general public remains low at this time. The risk to farmworkers remains moderate-high and the risk to other people in contact with affected workers and animal populations remains moderate. The confidence in these risk scores is low due to limited information on a potentially new chain of transmission, the limited information on the health status for the healthcare workers and the limited testing in humans, dairy cows, and other animals. CORI may adjust this assessment based on new information about the chain of transmission for the Missouri case, new results of ongoing serology testing, or identification of additional human cases with no known animal exposures through routine influenza surveillance.