Washington hits 2nd highest U.S. bird flu tally
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Washington state has the second-highest number of recent bird flu cases in the country, with nearly 2 million cases last month.
Why it matters: The H5N1 flu is continuing to evolve and spill over to other species, fueling fears of human-to-human transmission and a possible pandemic.
- The more immediate concern though is the potential impact on food prices.
Zoom in: In Washington, the recent cases came from the detection of the virus in one large commercial facility in October, Samira Guirguis, the public information officer for the state Department of Agriculture (WSDA), told Axios.
- Those cases are "a sobering reminder that highly pathogenic avian influenza remains a threat to all domestic poultry — large or small — statewide," state veterinarian Amber Itle said in an Oct. 10 statement.
Yes, but: Washington also has higher bird flu detection numbers compared to some other states because of its location along major migratory bird routes and its proximity to Canada and Alaska, Guirguis told Axios in an email.
- More than 4 million birds have been affected across 21 Washington counties since the start of the outbreak in 2022, according to the agency.
The big picture: Migratory birds are fueling new cases of H5N1 across the country while staff cuts at the CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture and the shutdown have slowed the federal response, halting key coordination calls among labs.
- Nationwide, highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in 62 commercial and backyard flocks across 17 states between Sept. 23 and Oct. 23, affecting an estimated 6.6 million birds, according to the USDA.
What they're saying: "It's happening pretty fast and doesn't seem to be slowing down, and I'm really very unclear about what the U.S.'s approach is going to be," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan.
State of play: In February, the Trump administration designated $1 billion toward fighting bird flu, with funding largely aimed at biosecurity audits on farms and financial relief for farmers to curb rising egg prices.
The bottom line: Bird flu still poses little risk to most Americans, but Washington's numbers may be a warning of how hard it could be to stay ahead of the threat.