Q&A: From people avoiding wild birds to farmers protecting their animals, Kent State epidemiologist Dr. Tara Smith shares tips on bird flu prevention.

In April 2024, as his first hens tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus, Herbruck turned to the tried-and-true U.S. Department of Agriculture playbook, the "stamping-out" strategy that helped end the 2014-15 bird flu outbreak, which was the largest in the U.S. until now.

Over the past 60 years, the influenza virus has continued to drift and shift. In 1968, a shift once again caused a pandemic. In 1976 and 2009, concerns that the virus had shifted led to [fears that a new pandemic loomed]. But Americans were lucky once again.

Health officials have also reported cases of H5N1 in wild birds and dairy cattle, highlighting the virus’s ability to jump between species. So far, 67 people in the U.S. have been reported to have contracted bird flu from infected animals.

As bird flu spreads in the United States, are there are any risks of the virus from drinking milk or eating eggs? Here's what you need to know, according to experts.

Millions of egg-laying hens have been lost due to the bird flu, causing egg production to slow and prices to skyrocket

That said, the cost of eggs isn't the only issue at stake with an avian flu epidemic: There are a lot of questions about whether eating eggs can get you sick amid the outbreak. Is