The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ended its emergency response to the H5N1 bird flu, citing a decline in reported cases of animal infections with the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. As of July 2, 2025, CDC’s emergency response was deactivated to transition back to regular program activity.
According to a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, surveillance, readiness, and response for influenza will continue under the CDC’s influenza division and other appropriate agency programs. The decision to end the emergency response was not imposed from the top down but rather initiated by career scientists at the CDC, citing a lack of human cases.
The H5N1 bird flu has caused sporadic outbreaks worldwide since its identification in the late 1990s. In the US, it has affected nearly 175 million birds and spread to dozens of mammal species across over 100 countries. While the virus infected dairy cattle in the US in early 2024, there have been only 70 reported human cases, with one death.
Reports of cases have slowed, but experts note that there’s a seasonality to bird flu outbreaks, which typically peak in the fall or early winter. Some milder cases may be going undetected due to changes at federal health agencies, but it’s unlikely that serious cases are being missed. The CDC will continue to monitor the situation and scale up activities as needed.
As of this writing, there have been no human cases reported since February 2025, prompting the CDC to transition back to regular program activity.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/07/health/cdc-bird-flu-response