H5N1 SPOTREP #8

March 17, 2025  /  TLP:CLEAR

Healthcare Ready is MONITORING for this event. We are monitoring potential concerns for supply chain disruptions and impacts on healthcare services on our Alert Hub.

Contents

• Situation Overview
• Impacts to Healthcare and Supply Chain

*Updates in bold

Situation Overview

• As of March 14, there have been 70 confirmed cases of H5N1 in the US since 2024.
  • 41 cases were from dairy herds, 24 cases were from poultry farms, 2 cases were from other animal exposure, and 3 cases were from exposure to an unknown source.
  • There have been no known person-to-person spread at this time and the current risk to public health is low according to CDC.
  • In January, one individual in Louisiana who got infected with the D1.1 strain died. They were over 65 years old and had underlying health conditions. Additionally, last year, a 13-year-old in Canada developed serious symptoms from the D1.1 strain.
  • The majority of cases were in California (38), Washington (11), and Colorado (10).
• The population at greatest risk continues to be agricultural workers in the poultry and dairy industries.

Impacts to Healthcare and Supply Chain

• On March 7, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extended their bird flu emergency declaration through April 10.
  • The declaration provides regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicles supporting emergency relief efforts.
  • The widespread loss of chicken flocks in affected areas is impacting the national food supply – with eggs being one of the biggest impacted.
    • For people in low-income populations, this could disproportionately impact them as eggs are widely consumed as a main source of protein and essential nutrients.
  • In the past month, there have been 13 new confirmed cases in cattle across three states. There have been 985 affected herds across 17 states since outbreak reporting began just one year ago.
    • This month, 220,000 domestic birds in commercial and backyard flocks have been affected by H5N1.
    • Additionally, domestic cats have seen an increase in bird flu cases. The CDC has urged pet owners to prevent them from interacting with wild birds, backyard poultry, cows, and other outdoor animals – as well as not feed them raw pet food or milk.
  • USDA announced a $1 billion strategy focused on preventing the virus on poultry farms and assisting with recovery efforts.

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