US cattle herds have caught bird flu this year
Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The highly infectious type bird flu began spreading in dairy cattle in the US earlier this year, giving the pathogen one of its best opportunities yet to evolve and infect people more easily.
Infectious disease experts have been concerned about the H5N1 virus for decades. Of the more than 900 people worldwide who have been caught since 2003, about half. he died as a result
Article amended on December 11, 2024
This article has been modified to address recovery situations for people with known infections.
