Theaux Braly

Senior Project Advisor

Mart Stewart

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Fall 2025

Keywords

H5N1, HPAI, highly pathogenic avian influenza, avian influenza, bird flu, infectious disease, zoonotic disease, emergent disease, health science, animal science, veterinary medicine, medicine, epidemics

Abstract

Though the H5N1 strain of HPAI (or 'bird flu') has been around for decades, only recently has the epidemic begun circulating within the United States. Domestic poultry, wild birds, dairy cows and other mammals (including humans) have been impacted by the virus to various extents. This project looks at key representative narratives of bird flu outbreaks within the U.S. to piece together the wider story around bird flu, culminating in the bigger picture showing what this disease reveals about the relationships between animals, humans and disease. The first case looks at an outbreak at a duck farm in Long Island that had to cull their entire flock. The second case covers the state of emergency declared in California over H5N1 in dairy farms. Finally, H5N1 is situated within the wider fields of zoonotic and emergent diseases, examining the history of disease to tie together the animal-human connection.

Department

History

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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