CDC Confirms First Bird Flu Case in US Child

This new case brings the total number of bird flu cases in people in the United States to 55 this year, with 29 in California.

Test tube labelled "Bird Flu" in front of U.S. flag in this illustration taken on June 10, 2024. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Nov. 22 the first case of avian influenza in a child in the United States.

This follows a Nov. 19 report from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) about the child from the San Francisco Bay Area who they said tested positive for bird flu. The case was labeled “possible” at that stage, as the CDC still needed to confirm it.