H5N1 Avian Flu Spreads Globally: Unprecedented Outbreak Threatens Wildlife, Livestock, and Potential Human Transmission
Published: December 8, 2025
Duration: 4:52
You’re listening to “H5N1 Global Scan: Avian Flu Worldwide.”
Today we’re taking a fast tour of how highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is reshaping animal health, trade, and pandemic preparedness across the globe.
Since 2020, H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has driven an unprecedented panzootic, with outbreaks on every continent except Australia, according to summaries compiled by the World Organisation for Animal Health and reviewed in the 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak overview. Wildlife, poultry, and a growing list of mammals – from sea lions to dairy cattle – have been hit hard, disrupting ecosystems and food systems alike.
Today we’re taking a fast tour of how highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is reshaping animal health, trade, and pandemic preparedness across the globe.
Since 2020, H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has driven an unprecedented panzootic, with outbreaks on every continent except Australia, according to summaries compiled by the World Organisation for Animal Health and reviewed in the 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak overview. Wildlife, poultry, and a growing list of mammals – from sea lions to dairy cattle – have been hit hard, disrupting ecosystems and food systems alike.