Bird flu suddenly became serious in 2024, infecting dozens of people

A highly contagious type of bird flu began spreading in dairy cows across the United States earlier this year, giving the disease one of the best opportunities yet to evolve and infect people more easily.

Infectious disease experts have been concerned about the virus, called H5N1, for decades. Of the more than 900 people worldwide known to have contracted the disease since 2003, about half He died as a result of.