Recent reports from the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) highlight an increase in H5N1 avian flu activity among dairy cattle in Idaho, with 33 new cases identified on milking facilities over the past month. Utah has also recorded three H5N1 detections in cattle this month.
Cumulatively, APHIS has documented 54 H5N1 cases in cattle this year. This figure is significantly lower than the 917 cases reported in 2024, and also below the 171 cattle affected by avian flu last year.
In developments concerning birds, a live-bird market in Providence, Rhode Island, has reported an outbreak of avian flu affecting 450 birds. This discovery follows a similar incident in a bird market in Passaic, New Jersey, just a week prior, where 670 animals were found to be ill.
Additionally, a recent preprint study indicates a substantial die-off of seal pups on Heard Island, off the coast of Australia. The study suggests that H5N1 avian flu has been responsible for the deaths of over 13,000 young elephant seals, out of an estimated population of 17,000 since August of last year. This represents more than 76% of the island’s seal population. Australia remains the only continent globally without any reported cases of the H5N1 strain capable of affecting both avian and mammalian species.
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