Is Bird Flu a Risk to Humans?

Are humans at risk from bird flu?

Bird flu infections in humans remain rare, health officials say, especially among those who are not in close contact with birds or other infected animals. 

Infections can happen when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth or is inhaled, and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Importantly, we have yet to see sustained human-to-human transmission of bird flu, says Sabrina Assoumou, M.D., an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center and a professor of medicine at Boston University’s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine.

“However, because of the possibility that bird flu viruses could change and gain the ability to spread easily between people, monitoring for human infection and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health,” the CDC says. 

Initial testing among the most recent cases infecting cattle in the U.S. did not detect any changes to the virus that would indicate it’s more transmissible to humans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced. 

“This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point,” Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said in a May 22 news release from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

The CDC says more human cases could be identified; however, “sporadic human infections with no ongoing spread will not change the CDC risk assessment for the U.S. general public,” which, again, is low. 

What about bird flu vaccines and treatments?

Your seasonal flu shot won’t protect you from a bird flu infection, but the CDC has vaccine formulas ready that target bird flu, and they could be used if the virus spread among people.

The antiviral treatments approved for seasonal influenza are recommended for people infected with avian influenza, including H5N1, according to the CDC. Because antiviral treatments work best when started as soon as symptoms begin, contact your state or local health department and a health care provider right away if you get sick after being in close contact with potentially infected birds.

Symptoms of bird flu and seasonal flu are similar. Keep an eye out for:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Diarrhea

What can you do to lower your risk of infection?

The advice from health experts is to exercise caution around sick or dead animals.

“If you own poultry or have birds on your property and any [of them] come down with an illness or die, do not handle the birds,” Binnicker says. “Contact your local or state public health officials to come and investigate.” (To keep your flocks from getting infected, take steps to prevent their exposure to wild birds, which carry the disease and don’t always appear sick.)

The same goes if you’re out hunting and come across dead animals or birds — don’t touch the carcass. “Because, again, the cases that have occurred in humans have been from direct interaction and exposure with an infected or dead animal,” Binnicker says.

Be sure to cook your poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses, the CDC says. Given the latest infections popping up in cows, avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk or products made from raw milk such as cheeses. There are not safety concerns with the commercial milk supply, federal health agencies say, because products are pasteurized — heated to a certain temperature for a specific period to kill any germs present — before entering the market.

“And then from the human side, just the lessons that we’ve learned through the pandemic: If you have a respiratory illness, stay home. If you have to go out in public, wear a mask and go get tested, because finding out what the cause of the disease is, that is also still very important,” Binnicker says. A health care provider can test you for bird flu with a swab of the nose or throat.

Editor’s note: This story, first published March 21, 2023, has been updated to include new information.