What’s the Latest on the Bird Flu Outbreak?

Officials at U.S. regulatory agencies have continued investigating a recent outbreak of H5N1, also known as bird flu, in cattle.

The Details: Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu spreading through dairy cows was only transmissible through udders, not respiratory droplets. Then, on Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration said bird flu had made its way into milk processing plants, but that the common “flash pasteurization” process neutralized the virus. Still, according to Reuters (Center bias), some scientists are “increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic.” Finland said it would start offering vaccination against H5N1 to certain workers as soon as this week, despite there being no reported cases in the country. 

For Context: So far, at least three people in the U.S. have tested positive for H5N1 since late March, reportedly experiencing mild symptoms. While the CDC says “the current public health risk is low,” it has troubled the cattle and poultry industries, spurring 2023’s “egg-flation” phenomenon.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was scattered in mainstream news outlets, with right-rated websites rarely publishing original coverage in recent weeks. While coverage generally lacked partisan angles, Forbes (Center bias) speculated on whether “COVID Measures Like Masking” would return if officials declared a pandemic.