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.

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.