The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging hospitals to accelerate advanced testing of people they suspect may have bird flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released an advisory recommending clinicians expedite subtyping of type A influenza samples from hospitalized patients, particularly individuals in an intensive care unit.

H5N9 is a rare subtype of the influenza A virus that can cause highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. It's a reassortment strain that originated from the H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2 subtypes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are monitoring the bird flu situation in the United States. Here's what to know and how to stay safe.

A subtype of bird flu caused by avian influenza A (H5) virus has been spreading worldwide ... including avian influenza A(H5N1), have gained the ability to spread easily and sustainably among ...

The H5N1 Avian influenza is decimating bird populations around the world. More than 136 million birds have been affected in the US since the disease arrived in 2022. More than 5 million egg-laying chickens died in the first 16 days of 2025.

The findings come at a time when outbreaks of bird flu -- a different subtype of the ... of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus currently circulating

H5N1 bird flu hits Georgia’s poultry industry marking the first commercial outbreak in the state Learn CDC prevention tips to protect public health and livelihoods

The H5N9 strain of avian influenza is much more rare than the H5N1 which has been responsible for most of the reported human cases and the first human death.

The team found that animals that had the virus inoculated directly into their lungs became severely ill, whereas animals that were infected through the nose or oesophagus did not. All animals infected with the virus still shed infectious virus particles, meaning they could infect other animals.

What is H5N9 and how is it different from H5N1? Scientists classify bird flu viruses by which kind of two key proteins are inside of them: the hemagglutinin, like H5 or H3, and th