US Department of Agriculture resumes H5N1 reporting amid rising dairy and poultry detections

After nearly a month, the US Department of Agriculture has renewed public reporting on H5N1, revealing new outbreaks in dairy herds and commercial poultry, as authorities emphasise ongoing surveillance and low public health risk.

The US Department of Agriculture has resumed public H5N1 reporting after almost a month with no new postings, adding detections in dairy cattle and commercial poultry to its federal dashboards.

According to tracking cited by CIDRAP, APHIS confirmed three affected dairy herds in the past 30 days: two in Texas and one in Utah. That lifts this year’s total to 85 cattle herds, below the 171 reported in 2025 and far short of the 917 logged in 2024, when the virus first emerged in cows.

On the poultry side, South Dakota recorded outbreaks at commercial breeding sites in Edmunds and Brule counties, while Idaho reported cases in Ada and Canyon counties. The latest federal tracker also shows activity in two commercial flocks and three backyard flocks over the same period.

The reporting lull is notable, but it should not be read as proof of reduced transmission. APHIS says its livestock surveillance now includes milk testing under the National Milk Testing Strategy, interstate movement testing and the Dairy Herd Status Programme.

For most people, the public health risk remains low. The concern is concentrated among dairy and poultry workers, veterinarians and others with direct animal contact. Pasteurised milk remains safe, while raw milk from infected cattle is not.