A virologist explains that why this probably isn’t the big one — but that it’s a sign of bad things happening with the virus.

In a positive finding, the CDC emphasized that there is no evidence the virus has spread from the Louisiana patient to others, and the mutations alone are unlikely to spread from person to person. CDC scientists also confirmed, however, that the Louisiana virus samples are closely related to candidate vaccine strains already developed for bird flu.

The CDC has confirmed a total of 66 human cases of bird flu across the United States as of Friday, although the number is believed to be higher.

As of December 30, the CDC has confirmed 66 human cases of the bird flu virus in the United States. Most of them were mild infections among dairy workers and others who had contact with infected animals.

Health experts are raising concerns after genetic sampling of the first severe H5N1 bird flu case in the U.S. Map shows US states where 'damaging' Arctic blast will hit first - and more to come Look inside the Breakers,

In light of the ongoing global spread of the H5N1 avian influenza, U.S. public health experts are reassured that current treatments and vaccines are effective against severe disease. The virus, which has caused sporadic human cases,

In 2024, at least 66 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the United States, each one raising the risk of another pandemic like COVID-19. So far, most cases have been described as “mild,” which means they weren't hospitalized.