The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in US cattle, poultry and people

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

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Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

23% left · 66% center · 11% right of 263 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 69 stories.

Every storyoldest first

1. January 2024

   Jan 27– 28Avian flu is devastating farms in California's ‘Egg Basket' as outbreaks roil poultry industry35 articles · 29 independent sources

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2. March 2024

   Mar 25– 26Dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas test positive for bird flu21 articles · 19 independent sources

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3. Mar 26– 29Bird flu has infected U.S. dairy cows for the first time, but the risk to the public is low, health officials say6 articles · 6 independent sources

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4. Mar 26Bird flu, weather and inflation conspire to keep egg prices near historic highs for Easter20 articles · 14 independent sources

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5. April 2024

   Apr 1– 3Person is diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows in Texas76 articles · 52 independent sources

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6. Apr 2– 3Largest US egg producer finds bird flu in chickens at Texas plant69 articles · 34 independent sources

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7. Apr 3– 6CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection following recent US case22 articles · 18 independent sources

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8. Apr 11– 13Bird flu is spreading to more farm animals. Are milk and eggs safe?27 articles · 15 independent sources

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9. Apr 19– 26More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here's what that means - The Daily Reporter29 articles · 25 independent sources

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10. Apr 23– 24Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, FDA says54 articles · 29 independent sources

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11. Apr 24– 29FDA: Bird flu virus fragments found in pasteurized milk; supply remains safe35 articles · 27 independent sources

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12. Apr 24– May 1The USDA will test ground beef for bird flu. Here's what to know33 articles · 18 independent sources

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13. May 2024

    May 10US pledges money and other aid to help track and contain bird flu on dairy farms10 articles · 10 independent sources

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14. May 14There's bird flu in US dairy cows. Raw milk drinkers aren't deterred20 articles · 15 independent sources

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15. May 22– 23Michigan farmworker diagnosed with bird flu, becoming 2nd US case tied to dairy cows47 articles · 38 independent sources

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16. May 24– 312nd human case of bird flu confirmed in Michigan, bringing total this year to 347 articles · 28 independent sources

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17. May 24– 25Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe12 articles · 11 independent sources

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18. May 28– 29Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm26 articles · 19 independent sources

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19. May 29Alpacas test positive for H5N1 bird flu for the first time7 articles · 7 independent sources

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20. May 29– Jun 1New bird flu vaccines undergoing tests in animals, humans8 articles · 8 independent sources

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21. June 2024

    Jun 5– 7Man in Mexico died of a bird flu strain that hadn't been confirmed before in a human, WHO says57 articles · 40 independent sources

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22. Jun 6Minnesota reports first case of avian flu in dairy herd; poultry cases rising12 articles · 11 independent sources

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23. Jun 11With 100M birds dead, poultry industry could serve as example as dairy farmers confront bird flu - The Daily Reporter10 articles · 10 independent sources

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24. July 2024

    Jul 3– 5Colorado dairy worker tests positive for bird flu, fourth person linked to outbreak37 articles · 24 independent sources

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25. Jul 15US health officials confirm four new bird flu cases, in Colorado poultry workers6 articles · 6 independent sources

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26. Jul 15– 20Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections17 articles · 15 independent sources

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27. Jul 30US will buy flu shots for farmworkers in a bid to prevent bird flu from getting worse7 articles · 6 independent sources

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28. August 2024

    Aug 23A bird flu outbreak is spreading among cows in the US. Scientists are hunting for answers15 articles · 10 independent sources

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29. September 2024

    Sep 6– 7Missouri reports 1st human case of bird flu in the state13 articles · 9 independent sources

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30. Sep 6– 12Officials call Missouri bird flu case a 'one-off' and say risk to public is still low38 articles · 23 independent sources

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31. October 2024

    Oct 3– 4Two California dairy workers were infected with bird flu, latest human cases in US22 articles · 18 independent sources

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32. Oct 24– 25Officials find no evidence bird flu is spreading between people after Missouri investigation16 articles · 14 independent sources

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33. Oct 30– 311st US case of bird flu in a pig raises concerns over potential human threat40 articles · 25 independent sources

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34. November 2024

    Nov 7– 8CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections19 articles · 15 independent sources

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35. Nov 19– 23California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child44 articles · 27 independent sources

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36. Nov 25– 26Raw milk from a California dairy recalled, bird flu virus detected16 articles · 10 independent sources

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37. Nov 25– 29Bird flu virus found in raw milk. What to know about the risks43 articles · 31 independent sources

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38. Nov 28– Dec 4California farm placed under quarantine after bird flu found in raw milk21 articles · 12 independent sources

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39. December 2024

    Dec 4– 6USDA expanding milk testing to better track bird flu spread6 articles · 6 independent sources

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40. Dec 6– 9USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus57 articles · 38 independent sources

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41. Dec 11California investigating possible case of bird flu in child who drank raw milk13 articles · 11 independent sources

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42. Dec 18– 20Bird flu is declared a State of Emergency in California75 articles · 48 independent sources

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43. Dec 18– 19America’s first severe case of bird flu confirmed in Louisiana65 articles · 47 independent sources

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44. Dec 24First human case of H5 bird flu confirmed in Los Angeles County10 articles · 10 independent sources

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45. Dec 25– 27Bird flu kills more than half the big cats at a Washington sanctuary22 articles · 20 independent sources

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46. Dec 25– 27Pet food recalled over bird flu contamination, house cat dead55 articles · 33 independent sources

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47. Dec 26Cats can get sick with bird flu. Here's how to protect them7 articles · 7 independent sources

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48. Dec 27– 28Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says38 articles · 32 independent sources

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49. January 2025

    Jan 6– 7First US bird flu death is announced in Louisiana103 articles · 80 independent sources

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50. Jan 12– 13California man says two of his cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu15 articles · 9 independent sources

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51. Jan 16– 17CDC urges faster testing to find human bird flu cases12 articles · 7 independent sources

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52. Jan 18– 20Bird flu found in a Georgia commercial flock for the first time amid the nationwide outbreak19 articles · 19 independent sources

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53. Jan 24– 26Price of eggs on the rise, experts contribute the increase to bird flu13 articles · 8 independent sources

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54. Jan 27– 28H5N9 bird flu outbreak: New virus strain detected on California farm12 articles · 7 independent sources

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55. February 2025

    Feb 4Waffle House announces $0.50 surcharge on eggs because of bird flu30 articles · 23 independent sources

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56. Feb 5– 6Second type of bird flu detected in US dairy cows55 articles · 35 independent sources

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57. Feb 7– 8New York shuts down live poultry markets after bird flu detected23 articles · 20 independent sources

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58. Feb 10– 11New strain of bird flu is detected in a Nevada dairy worker, CDC says9 articles · 9 independent sources

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59. Feb 10– 15Bird flu found in Arizona milk suggests another spillover from birds to cows8 articles · 7 independent sources

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60. Feb 11State lifts poultry suspension after bird flu outbreak5 articles · 5 independent sources

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61. Feb 15– 17Woman hospitalized in Wyoming with H5N1 bird flu9 articles · 9 independent sources

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62. Feb 18– 20Agriculture Department tries to rehire fired workers tied to bird flu response35 articles · 20 independent sources

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63. Feb 24– 25Denny's temporarily adds egg surcharge as bird flu drives up prices14 articles · 8 independent sources

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64. Feb 26– 27Egg prices could jump 41% this year, USDA says, as Trump's bird flu plan is unveiled40 articles · 23 independent sources

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65. May 2025

    May 19The US hasn’t seen a human bird flu case in 3 months. Experts are wondering why8 articles · 6 independent sources

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66. September 2025

    Sep 4Cat in San Francisco euthanized after latest bird flu infection tied to raw pet food10 articles · 10 independent sources

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67. November 2025

    Nov 14– 15Washington resident is infected with a different type of bird flu13 articles · 10 independent sources

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68. Nov 22Washington state man believed to be the first to die from a rare strain of bird flu13 articles · 8 independent sources

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69. Nov 22– 25Bird flu: first ever death from rare H5N5 strain is recorded in US9 articles · 9 independent sources

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