The H5N1 virus has become a pandemic among animals, raging through worldwide bird populations and now through US cattle herds. There, the H5N1 virus can continue operating as an avian virus, grabbing avian receptors with no need to adapt to human receptors. Two previous one-off human cases of H5N1 — one in Chile and one in Ecuador — featured respiratory symptoms. Even with its current monitoring, the CDC would probably detect sustained human spread, he said. Correction — June 4, 2024: An earlier version of this story misstated the nature of genomic sequencing of the H5N1 virus.

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Persons: —, Jude virologist Richard Webby, Diego Vara, Rick Bright, Amanda Perobelli, John Harper, Nirav Shah, farmworkers, Shah, Bright, Bill Powers, Nathan Howard, Department of Agriculture hadn't Organizations: Service, US Centers for Disease Control, Business, CDC, Reuters, World Health Organization, Studies, New York Times, Stock, Drug Administration, STAT, Webby, Department of Agriculture Locations: Texas, Michigan, Americas, Norte, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Campinas, Townsend , Delaware