H5N1 Bird Flu Explained: What You Need to Know About Transmission, Risk, and Prevention
Published: November 15, 2025
Duration: 3:50
You’re listening to Avian Flu 101: Your H5N1 Bird Flu Guide, a Quiet Please production. This is your three-minute primer on what you need to know about avian flu, especially the H5N1 virus.
Let’s start simple: **What is bird flu?** Bird flu, or avian influenza, is caused by influenza A viruses that mainly infect birds. But every so often, one of these viruses, like H5N1, makes the jump from birds to humans and other mammals, raising concerns among public health experts. H5N1 stands for the types of proteins on the virus’s surface: hemagg...
Let’s start simple: **What is bird flu?** Bird flu, or avian influenza, is caused by influenza A viruses that mainly infect birds. But every so often, one of these viruses, like H5N1, makes the jump from birds to humans and other mammals, raising concerns among public health experts. H5N1 stands for the types of proteins on the virus’s surface: hemagg...