A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak has occurred on three farms in Bulgaria. The H5N1 bird flu virus was detected on three farms with a total flock of 28,000 birds in the town of Rakovski, the Paris-based WOAH said, citing a report from the Bulgarian authorities. At least two of the farms were duck farms, according to the report.

The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has raised concerns among governments and the poultry industry after it ravaged flocks around the world in recent years, disrupting supply, fuelling higher food prices, and raising the risk of human transmission. While the fear-mongering of the virus has dropped off a cliff in the United States, other areas are still reporting that the outbreak is ongoing.

Bird Flu Is Spreading Through The Air As Cases Plummet?

Human cases are no longer an issue in the U.S., but as cases plummeted, reports surfaced that the virus could now be airborne, making human-to-human transmission an easier pathway.

This news comes as generative artificial intelligence is “uncovering” undetected bird flu exposure risks in Maryland. The report didn’t say more infections in humans or poultry are being discovered, only that it’s pinpointing “risks” of exposure for Maryland emergency departments.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine developed a new and highly effective application of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to quickly scan notes in electronic medical records and identify high-risk patients who may have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza or “bird flu”, according to new findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Using a generative AI large language model (LLM), the research team analyzed 13,494 visits across University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) hospital emergency departments from adult patients in urban, suburban, and rural areas in 2024. These patients all had acute respiratory illness (such as, cough, fever, congestion) or conjunctivitis—symptoms consistent with early H5N1 infections. The goal was to assess how well generative AI could find high-risk patients who may have been overlooked at the time of initial treatment. –EurekAlert

Bird Flu May Have Disappeared, But A Parasite “Screwworm” Has Come For The Beef