Dawn O'Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the US Department of Health and Human Services gets a look at the syringe filler during a tour of bird flu vaccine manufacturer CSL Seqirus in Holly Springs, NC.
© Alex Boerner / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – With the nation’s first bird flu death having been reported by officials, New Yorkers are concerned — could this morph into another COVID situation? Dr. Ann Hohenhaus is with the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York City. And while human-to-human transmission has yet to be observed, she’s offering tips as to keeping pets safe.
Bird flu is spreading among birds and other animals in the US — so protecting pets is vital. Dr. Hohenhaus says dogs and cats need to be separated from bird populations — including pet birds — and within parks and other natural settings. As she notes in the above comments, raw pet food meat could also potentially be infected with bird flu.
A man in Louisiana died recently after being exposed to infected backyard flocks and experiencing severe illness. The CDC notes he had underlying medical conditions before contracting bird flu. His exposure was notably through non-commercial backyard chickens and wild birds. According to the CDC, there’ve been 66 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the US as of 2024 — but the Louisiana man marks the first fatality.
Some other human cases have also been reported. Outbreaks have been observed in poultry and US dairy cows. Meanwhile, some officials warn the timing of this outbreak has the potential to turn into a “double flu” situation — with seasonal influenza already making its annual impact.
