The H5N1 bird flu, which was first detected in San Bernardino County in January, is spreading locally.
The malady, which so far has been primarily confined to the animal world but carries with it potential yet mostly unmanifested hazards for humans, has made its presence felt most poignantly with the sharp escalation in the pricing on eggs. Based upon the progression into agricultural hosts, it appears the situation with regard to the contagion is on a trajectory to get worse before it will get better.
Yesterday, March 6, San Bernardino County Public Health Department officials announced that the bird flu has turned up at no fewer than four of San Bernardino County’s dairy farms.
“While the risk of bird flu to the general public remains low, the detection of this virus in animals across multiple farms serves as a reminder to practice caution when handling animals or animal products,” said San Bernardino County Health Officer Sharon Wang. “It’s crucial to avoid raw milk consumption and follow proper food safety practices to reduce any potential risk of exposure.”
In January, there were outbreaks in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
While H5N1 appears to have originated in birds, it has jumped to a variety of mammals. Currently, it has manifested in 48 species. In 2023, it had migrated to South America, where it resulted in a die-off of 23,000 sea lions.
The condition made its first known appearance in North America in 2021.San Bernardino County’s first confirmed case turned up not in birds or in humans but in a domestic cat. It is believed that two other cats associated with the known infected cat were also infected. They died.

The humans living with the cats have not tested positive for H5N1 bird flu. At present, there are no reported cases of humans in the county have contracted bird flu.
Bird flu, the common term for avian influenza, is an infection from a type of influenza virus which usually spreads easily in birds and other animals.
It was first detected in geese in Southern China in 1996. There have been on and off outbreaks of the disease in wild and farmed birds around the globe. In 2021 the virus was found in North America, which created alarm among epidemiologists.
Initially and currently, in terms of human pathology, H5N1 is what scientists consider a dead-end infection, in that it does not typically transmit from person to person. Human infections of H5N1 are relatively rare and in most cases and mild, although it has proven deadly in a smattering of cases involving people. Previous forms of avian flu prior toH5N1 had an overall death rate in humans that was high, with historically about one third to one half of all people with compromised immune systems who became infected having died.
Avian influenza often kills birds that catch it.
People can get avian influenza if they come in contact with an infected animal’s body fluid, such as saliva, milk, respiratory droplets or feces and perhaps urine. It can be breathed in from small dust particles in animal habitats or gain entrance to a person’s body through the eyes, nose or mouth if the body fluids have been touched.