DPH continues to monitor reports of recent avian flu outbreaks around the world. There have been no human cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in South Carolina since it was first detected in the United States in 2022. DPH will continue to work closely with the State Veterinarian at Clemson University's Livestock Poultry Health Division, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service as they monitor for any new cases of this virus.

What Is It?

Avian influenza (AI) viruses can infect a wide variety of bird species. Additionally, AI viruses can also infect some species of mammals (including humans). However, the disease naturally lives and reproduces in migratory wild birds, which are the primary source of transmission for various strains of AI viruses.

AI viruses can be classified as low pathogenicity (LPAI) or high pathogenicity (HPAI) based on the severity of the illness they cause in birds. LPAI causes mild or no signs of disease. HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal form of the disease that, once established, can spread rapidly from flock to flock. The currently circulating AI virus affecting birds and dairy cattle in the United States is an H5N1-type virus, a strain commonly reported in wild birds and recognized as the HPAI variety. For more information, please refer to the links below.

Can Avian Influenza Cause Illness in People?

The currently circulating AI virus (H5N1) is not well adapted to infect humans. At this point, the CDC and DPH assess the risk of H5N1 avian influenza to the public as low. However, there have been a handful of infections reported in people in the United States since the outbreak began in birds in 2022. Most of these infections are noted to have occurred in people who had close contact with sick birds or cattle. People who are older or immunocompromised may have more serious complications from infection. For more information, please refer to the links below.