• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) monitors local, state, and national level outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

• These are the updates as of May 2, 2024 -

1. 9 states reported outbreaks of HPAI in cattle, with 36 herds affected starting on March 25, 2024. This was the first time that bird flu viruses were found in cattle.

2. One human with exposure to dairy cows, presumably infected with the virus, was infected with HPAI in Texas. This was the first case of mammal-to-mammal transmission.

• Though the risk of spreading these infections from mammals to mammals is rare, the CDC has released guidelines to prevent infections among people routinely being exposed to poultry or cattle.

• These include avoiding dead birds or animals and eating cooked uncontaminated meat.

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