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Since it was first discovered in birds in 1996, H5N1 has shown itself to be a Swiss Army Knife of a virus, evolving the necessary tools to break into the cells of a growing list of species. So far, it has infected and killed millions of wild and farmed birds. It’s also been found in at least 26 different kinds of mammals, including, most recently in the United States — cows, cats and house mice. The voraciousness of the virus prompted Dr. Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist of the World Health Organization in April to call it “a global zoonotic animal pandemic.” (Goodman, 6/11)

The Wyoming Livestock Board announced last week that bird flu has been found in a herd of dairy cattle in Wyoming. It's the first confirmed case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the Cowboy State. (Dudley, 6/11)

In its latest updates, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported 36 more H5N1 avian flu detections in house mice, all in the same New Mexico county, as well as four more virus detections in domestic cats. Also today, APHIS reported four more H5N1 detections in domestic cats, including one from Oklahoma, which hasn't recently reported the virus in poultry or in dairy cows. (Schnirring, 6/11)

Officials have confirmed reports of bird flu (H5N1) being detected in wastewater in the Houston area. Harris County Public Health says the Houston area is one of nine Texas cities where H5N1 was detected in wastewater samples conducted by the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI). The samples were from between March 1 and May 13. (Terry, 6/11)

For weeks now, as the H5N1 bird flu has been spreading into dairy cattle herds in more and more places, one state continues to lead the pack. With reports of infections in 25 herds, Michigan currently accounts for about one-third of the country’s confirmed cases in livestock. And of the three people known to have contracted the H5N1 virus from sick cows since the outbreak began, two of them are farmworkers in Michigan, including one who experienced respiratory symptoms. (Molteni, 6/12)

Mandy Cohen, who led North Carolina’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is facing her first major test as director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — rising concerns about the spread of avian influenza. (Baxley, 6/12)

India has reported an H9N2 avian flu case involving a child in West Bengal state who was exposed to poultry, marking the country's second such case since 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a statement, and China confirmed another pediatric H9N2 infection. The 4-year-old child, who had a history of upper-airway disease, was first hospitalized in February for complications from respiratory virus infections, which included influenza B and adenovirus. In early March, the child was hospitalized again with severe respiratory symptoms, which were positive for unsubtyped influenza A and rhinovirus. (Schnirring, 6/11)

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“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the ���ϳԹ��� News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (6/11)