CDC Ends Emergency Bird Flu Response

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has ended its emergency response for bird flu due to a decline in animal infections and no reports of human cases since February, Reuters reported.

The emergency response ended on July 2, but surveillance and response for bird flu cases will continue under its influenza division. The data updates for bird flu therefore were merged with routine updates for seasonal flu and will be reported monthly.

During the past year, bird flu has infected 70 people, mostly farm workers, and killed one person. The current bird flu risk to the public remains low, according to the CDC.

Experts have warned that further spread of bird flu raises the risk of it becoming more contagious to humans. In June, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ended a contract with Moderna to create a vaccine to safeguard against bird flu.