Bird flu is a disease caused by avian influenza A viruses, according to the CDC. The virus mostly spreads between birds and dairy cows, but there have been 67 human cases of bird flu nationwide and one death tied to the infection since 2024, CDC records show.

Health officials in San Francisco announced Friday that they are investigating a presumptive case of H5N1 bird flu that was found in a child who lives in the city.

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new recommendation for hospitals to accelerate the process of confirming cases of H5N1 in patients. The agency is now suggesting that hospitals, especially intensive care units (ICUs), begin to implement rapid subtyping for cases of influenza A.

CDC officials say they extended the guidance now because they are seeing more H5N1 patients whose illness they cannot track back to an infected bird or cow.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released an advisory recommending clinicians expedite subtyping of type A influenza samples from hospitalized patients, particularly individuals in an intensive care unit.

Seasonal influenza vaccines triggered protective immune responses against the H5N1 avian influenza virus primarily in younger people, indicating its potential use as a first line of defense during an eventful pandemic.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, bird flu is a disease caused by the influenza A virus. At the same time, recent CDC data shows that seasonal influenza A is rising across the U.

The CDC has confirmed a positive bird flu case in a child in San Francisco, the second juvenile case of H5N1 in the country.

Health officials have identified another possible case of bird flu in a child — this time in San Francisco. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said the presumptive case was discovered through routine testing based on the child's symptoms. They were also tested for COVID-19 and RSV.

FRIDAY, Jan. 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed another human H5N1 avian flu case -- otherwise known as bird flu -- in California on Thursday, bringing the nationwide total of cases to 67.