Bird flu cases are still rising in the U.S. as the virus continues to devastate poultry farms. More than 145 million chickens, ducks, turkeys and other fowl have been slaughtered across the United States since the outbreak began in January 2022. As for humans, 67 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

It is also possible for people to get infected from contact with a sick cat, Troisi said. The situation with the virus is somewhat complicated by the fact that the Trump administration has ordered federal health agencies like the CDC to pause public communications.

State officials are working with partners to test suspected cases and collaborating with municipalities to safely dispose of dead birds." The post Bird flu now considered ‘widespread’ in Mass., officials say appeared first on Boston.

The newly reported H5N9 strain was found Monday at a duck farm in Merced County, California, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. The Paris-based organization that studies animal diseases said it's the first verified U.S. case of H5N9 in poultry. The organization said the more common strain H5N1 was also found.

Scientists say the temporary freeze on communications from federal officials creates a troubling blind spot for those tracking the virus.

The number of bird flu cases in Central Massachusetts is relatively low, compared to a swath of the state that runs from Greater Boston to Southeastern Massachusetts. That message was delivered Wednesday during a virtual update from state health officials on the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus.