H5N1 Bird Flu Alert: Key Symptoms, Prevention Strategies, and Safety Measures for Public Health Awareness

H5N1 Bird Flu Briefing: Public Health Alert

Good afternoon. This is an official public health briefing to provide essential updates about the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu situation in the United States as of September 29, 2025. Our goal is to share critical information, support community preparedness, and ensure everyone knows how to respond if needed.

H5N1 bird flu continues to circulate broadly in wild birds and periodically causes outbreaks in poultry and livestock such as dairy herds, particularly in states like California and Florida, as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state agriculture agencies. Sporadic cases in humans have been reported, almost exclusively among people with direct exposure to infected animals, such as agricultural and poultry workers. According to CDC data, most human infections in the U.S. have resulted in mild illness, but there have been isolated hospitalizations and, in rare cases, fatalities. There is currently **no sustained transmission among people**, and the **alert level for the general public remains low**. However, this alert matters because rapid changes in the virus or increased person-to-person transmission could quickly raise the public health risk. Vigilant monitoring and adherence to containment protocols remain essential.

If you or someone close to you have recently been exposed to sick or dead birds, poultry, or dairy cows—especially in an outbreak region—watch for key symptoms of H5N1. Symptoms to monitor at home include:
- Mild eye redness (conjunctivitis)
- Cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose
- Low-grade fever

Seek **immediate medical attention** if experiencing any of the following:
- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
- High fever over 102°F
- Severe muscle pain
- GI symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting
- Signs of pneumonia or persistent chest pain
According to Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, recent relevant animal exposure should always be communicated to healthcare providers.

For those working in **high-risk settings**—poultry farms, dairies, or animal health labs—strict containment protocols must be followed. This includes wearing gloves, masks, goggles, and coveralls when handling animals, avoiding direct contact with sick or dead wildlife, and performing regular hand hygiene. Workers should report all sickness in animals and people promptly to their local health authority. Disinfection procedures for clothing and equipment, as well as proper disposal of potentially contaminated materials, must be rigorously applied. Early detection, as highlighted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is critical for outbreak control.

Guidelines for the general public, prioritized:
- **Do not touch sick or dead wild birds, poultry, or livestock.**
- **Avoid consuming raw, unpasteurized milk; boil it or consume only pasteurized products.**
- **Ensure eggs, poultry, and beef are thoroughly cooked.**
- **Report clusters of sick or dead birds to local environmental or agricultural agencies.**
- **Get an annual seasonal flu shot to reduce risk of co-infection.**
- **Minimize contact between pets, especially cats, and wild birds or livestock, as cats are highly susceptible to H5N1.**
- If your pet becomes sick after possible exposure, seek veterinary care promptly.

There is currently no widely available vaccine for H5N1 for the general public, although experimental and occupational-use vaccines exist and clinical trials are ongoing.

For further information and updates, please visit the CDC Bird Flu resource page or your state health department website. In emergencies, contact your local public health office, or, in California, the Department of Food and Agriculture helpline.

Thank you for tuning in to today's H5N1 Bird Flu Public Health Alert. Please return next week for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, visit Quiet Please Dot A I.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
H five and one bird flu Briefing Public Health Alert,
Good afternoon. This is an official public health briefing to
provide essential updates about the highly pathogenic H five and
one bird flu situation in the United States as of
September twenty nine, twenty twenty five. Our goal is to
share critical information, support community preparedness, and ensure everyone knows

(00:25):
how to respond if needed. H five N one bird
flu continues to circulate broadly in wild birds and periodically
causes outbreaks in poultry and livestock such as dairy herds,
particularly in states like California and Florida, as confirmed by

(00:58):
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state agriculture agencies.
Sporadic cases in humans have been reported almost exclusively among
people with direct exposure to infected animals, such as agricultural
and poultry workers. According to CDC data, most human infections
in the US have resulted in mild illness, but there

(01:20):
have been isolated hospitalizations and, in rare cases, fatalities. There
is currently no sustained transmission among people, and the alert
level for the general public remains low. However, this alert
matters because rapid changes in the virus or increased person
to person transmission could quickly raise the public health risk.
Vigilant monitoring in adherence to containment protocols remain essential. If

(01:44):
you or someone close to you have recently been exposed
to sick or dead birds, poultry, or dairy cows, especially
in an outbreak region, watch for key symptoms of H
five and one. Symptoms to monitor at home include mild
eye redness, conjunctivitis, mind miiled eye redness, cough, sore throat,
runny or stuffy nose, low grade fever. Seek immediate medical

(02:07):
attention if experiencing any of the following difficulty breathing, shortness
of breath, high fever over one hundred two degrees fahrenheit,
severe muscle pain, GI symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting,
signs of pneumonia, or persistent chest pain. According to Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health, recent relevant animal exposure

(02:29):
should always be communicated to health care providers. For those
working in high risk settings poultry farms, dairies, or animal
health labs, strict containment protocols must be followed. This includes
wearing gloves, masks, goggles, and coveralls when handling animals, avoiding
direct contact with sick or dead wildlife, and performing regular

(02:51):
hand HIGI workers should report all sickness in animals and
people promptly to their local health authority. Disinfection procedures for
clothing and equiped mint, as well as proper disposal of
potentially contaminated materials, must be rigorously applied. Early detection, as
highlighted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is
critical for outbreak control. Guidelines for the general public prioritized.

(03:16):
Do not touch sick or dead wild birds, poultry, or livestock.
Avoid consuming raw unpasteurized milk, boil it or consume only
pasteurized products. Ensure eggs, poultry, and beef are thoroughly cooked.
Report clusters of sick or dead birds to local environmental

(03:37):
or agricultural agencies. Get an annual seasonal flu shot to
reduce risk of coinfection. Minimize contact between pets, especially cats,
and wild birds or livestock, as cats are highly susceptible
to H five and one. If your pet becomes sick

(03:57):
after possible exposure, seek veterans care promptly. There is currently
no widely available vaccine for H five and one for
the general public, although experimental and occupational use vaccines exist
and clinical trials are ongoing. For further information and updates,
please visit the CDC bird Flu Resource page or your

(04:17):
state health department website. In emergencies, contact your local public
health office or, in California, the Department of Food and
Agriculture helpline. Thank you for tuning in to today's H
five and one bird flu public health alert. Please return
next week for more updates. This has been a quiet
please production. For more visit quiet please dot AI