UW News
Julianne Meisner
July 1, 2024
Q&A: How the H5N1 bird flu outbreak could become humanity’s problem
![Hundreds of small, white chickens stand on the floor of a large barn.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/28093139/chicken-4689310_1280-150x150.jpg)
A major outbreak of a new strain of bird flu — formally named Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 — has killed millions of wild birds and infected poultry, dairy cattle, domestic cats and a small number of humans. UW experts explain how bird flu evolves and what it could mean for humans.