Avian Flu Diary

CDC FluView Report Week 5
#19,053
For the 9th consecutive week, influenza remains above the National Baseline, and with the recent rise in influenza B cases, has spiked upwards again slightly (see FluView chart above).

#19,052
Two months ago, in Declining Mammalian Spillover Submissions To USDA Over Past 8 Months, we looked at the recent drop in reported spillovers of HPAI H5 to mammalian wildlife, despite increased detections in wild birds.
The above graph is based on collection dates, not confirmation dates (which may come months later). During the 1st 3 months of 2025, the USDA averaged 43 positive submission per month....

#19,051
South Korea is no stranger to dealing with outbreaks of Avian Influenza, African Swine Fever (ASF), and Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD), but this year their messaging and response have taken on a more urgent tone.
Even before the fall avian flu season began, last September South Korea Conducted A 19-day, Nationwide, Mock-Training Exercise to Prepare for Zoonotic Influenza, immediately followed by South Korea: MAFRA Conducts A Preemptive Virtual Quarantine Exercise...

Photo Credit – CDC
#19,050
During the 1918 pandemic an abnormally high number of pregnant women died from the influenza, and those that survived endured a very high miscarriage rate. Again, during the much milder 1957 Asian Flu, pregnant women reportedly suffered disproportionately...