HPAI News: Jan 20 2025
Photo: Kirsti Marohn/Associated Press, 2015
Statistics
APHIS is reporting 44 confirmed cases of H5N1 in poultry across 21 states so far this year (1). Connecticut and Puerto Rico have reported their first cases, although the biggest news of the week is the infection of a commercial flock in Georgia (2). State authorities have suspended all poultry-related activities within the state in an attempt to contain the spread. Additional cases across the US have been confirmed in 41 wild birds and 11 domestic cats, as well as 13 California dairy herds (3-5). The media is also reporting positive H5N1 test results in commercial flocks in Ohio, Indiana, and Maryland, and the deaths of a flamingo and a harbor seal at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago (6-9).
Government & Policy
In response to the recent deaths of a number of domestic cats after consuming raw pet food that was contaminated with the H5N1 virus, the FDA is requiring that manufacturers that are covered by the Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCAF) rule consider Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza as a potential hazard (10). This means that pet food companies would need to have procedures in place to identify and mitigate risk of contamination of their products with the virus. Additional resources to help pet owners keep their pets safe can be found on the American Veterinary Medical Association website (11).
The USDA has also updated its guidance on pre-slaughter surveillance for turkeys in an attempt to prevent H5N1-positive birds from entering the food supply (12). The new guidance recommends isolation, monitoring, and testing of flocks 72 hours prior to transport.
The USDA will ease restrictions on importation of certain poultry products from European countries, as an extensive risk assessment has determined that they do not pose a significant threat of bringing H5N1 into the US (13). The restrictions were originally put in place in October 2024 after France began vaccinating its commercially raised ducks.
Public Impact
Samples from 41 wild birds have tested positive for HPAI so far in 2025, with an average lag time of 109 days (range: 8 - 311) between sample collection and analysis (3). Several states are issuing warnings to residents to avoid sick or dead birds, with some experiencing large numbers of deceased waterfowl. In Nazareth, PA, where 200 snow geese tested positive for H5N1 earlier this month, game wardens initiated a depopulation program to help stem the spread of the virus. However, when they arrived at the birds’ nesting site, they discovered thousands of birds already dead (14). Incidents such as this raise concerns about safe handling and disposal of carcasses, as well as threats to protected and endangered species.
Egg prices remain a concern for many shoppers, with prices continuing to rise across most markets (15). The national average for large, white, conventional loose eggs was up 27% to $5.87/dozen. Layer losses are already over 5M birds in 2025, exacerbating the loss of 13.2M birds in December 2024.
Science
The US Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Moderna $590M to accelerate the development of an H5N1 vaccine for humans. The pharma giant received $176M last June to continue development of an early version of the vaccine. Moderna shares are up 5% as of Friday, Jan 17th.