The bird flu virus that killed 20 big cats in Washington and a pet cat in Oregon and is circulating among cows, poultry and wild birds isn't yet a threat to the general public, experts say. Why it matters: The first human death from bird flu isn't indicative of an imminent crisis,

A handful of cats in the United States have been found dead due to avian influenza, a viral disease that historically only affected domestic poultry and wild birds, though some variants have been capable of infecting mammals including humans.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, bird flu is a disease caused by the influenza A virus. At the same time, recent CDC data shows that seasonal influenza A is rising across the U.

Bird flu is suspected to have caused the death of multiple wild birds recovered across the state last week, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife announced. At least seven snow geese, two Canada geese, and two hawks have yielded presumptive positive results so far for avian influenza,

In a story published Jan. 12, 2025, about bird flu, The Associated Press erroneously described the experts who confirmed infected cats had developed neurological disease. They wrote in the journal