Bird Flu Epidemic 2024. A major outbreak of a new strain of bird flu—formally named influenza a virus subtype h5n1 —has since killed millions of wild birds and infected poultry, dairy cattle,. Avian influenza, commonly known as avian flu or bird flu, is a type of influenza virus that primarily affects birds, but as recent reports have shown, can also.

So far, there’s only one known case of the virus possibly passing from a cow to a human, but experts are concerned. To cause an epidemic or pandemic, it must also acquire the ability to be transmitted between humans.