The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the end of the bird flu emergency, at least for now.
Citing a drop in animal infections and no new human cases reported since February, the agency official ended the emergency response on July 2. Going forward, the CDC says it will include H5N1 bird flu updates alongside its regular influenza updates.
“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the CDC stated in a release published on July 7.
The first severe case of bird flu in a human was announced in December 2024, as reported by The Dallas Express at the time. Currently, the CDC reports 70 cases of the flu, with one death confirmed.
However, the agency states that there is currently no known person-to-person transmission.
The CDC will also cease reporting on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in animals. Instead, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make those details available on its website.
“I am still concerned about H5N1 spread within poultry and on into other species,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said to Fox News Digital.
Despite the drop in numbers, Siegel warns the lull could be a seasonal trend.
“The dip this time of year has to do with the patte[r]n of migratory birds, where they aren’t traveling, but I expect the numbers to surge back up in the fall.”