Bird Flu: What's At Risk For You

TIME

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately.  So, what is it? Do you need to worry, and can you protect yourself? TIME Senior Correspondent Alice Parks explains this latest outbreak of bird flu - also called H5N1 Avian Influenza - after officials reported the first death from virus in the U.S.

Transcript

00:00You've probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately.

00:05New cases of the bird flu are raising alarms among health officials.

00:09America's first severe human case of H5N1 bird flu.

00:14So what is it?

00:15Do you need to worry and can you protect yourself?

00:19Bird flu is also called H5N1 avian influenza.

00:24This recent outbreak began in 2024 and what has experts concerned is that it's not only

00:30infected millions of birds but the virus has also spread to dairy cattle and other mammals

00:36including goats, foxes and house cats.

00:39And increasingly it's been diagnosed in humans.

00:42A U.S. man over age 65 with other health conditions became the first to die with H5N1 infection

00:50in early 2025.

00:52Breaking tonight the nation's first human death from the bird flu just reported.

00:57Down from Louisiana here.

00:58The Department of Health there, listen to this, the first person has died from bird

01:03flu.

01:04Genetic analysis of the virus from that man suggests that H5N1 mutated in his body after

01:10he became infected.

01:12The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said these mutations are concerning but

01:18not a cause for alarm yet.

01:21Symptoms of H5N1 infection can resemble those of more common illnesses.

01:26Many of the people in the U.S. who have caught bird flu are farm workers who have come into

01:31direct contact with infected cattle or poultry.

01:34They have developed relatively mild symptoms including conjunctivitis like eye issues,

01:40eye redness and discharge from the eyes.

01:43Dairy workers who milk infected cows are especially at risk since the virus can enter their eyes

01:49from milk that sprays into their face.

01:52Bird flu can also cause respiratory and classic flu-like symptoms including cough, runny nose,

01:58fever, sore throat, body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath and even pneumonia,

02:05the CDC says.

02:07As bird flu continues to spread, work on a vaccine is underway to protect the public

02:12in the event of a pandemic.

02:15Several companies, including Moderna, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, which is working with

02:21CureVac, are developing an mRNA vaccine using the same technology that was used in the COVID-19

02:28shots.

02:29In July, the U.S. government awarded Moderna $176 million to develop its updated mRNA H5N1

02:38vaccine.

02:40All of these mRNA vaccine candidates are in early stages of testing in people for safety

02:46and efficacy.

02:47In 2024, scientists led by a team at the CDC reported that an mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine helped

02:56ferrets generate strong antibody responses against the virus.

03:01Vaccinated animals survived a lethal dose of the virus while unvaccinated ferrets died

03:07from their infection.

03:09While creating an mRNA vaccine can be done quickly, testing the shot in clinical trials

03:14will take longer.

03:16So in the meantime, several existing vaccines, which don't use mRNA technology but do target

03:22previous strains of H5N1, exist in the national stockpile.

03:27Health experts expect they would still provide some protection against severe disease.

03:33Because the virus is spreading among poultry and dairy cattle, the outbreaks are leading

03:38to egg rationing and shortages, and have led to higher prices.

03:42While milk prices are not expected to go up, the U.S. FDA now tests for the virus in commercial

03:48milk and other dairy products on a regular basis.

03:52The agency also advises staying away from raw milk, which is not pasteurized, a process

03:58that can kill the virus.

04:00Some experts believe dairy workers and others who have close contact with animals likely

04:05to be infected, such as poultry and cattle, should be vaccinated to protect them from

04:10infection.

04:11But the CDC says that the risk of bird flu is still low for the general public, and currently

04:17there are no recommendations for anyone in the U.S. to get vaccinated against H5N1.

04:24As with all viruses, experts caution that everyone wash their hands carefully, avoid

04:29touching their face, and wear a mask if they may come in contact with infected animals.

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