Bird flu continues to appear to pose a "low risk to the general public" for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency's scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this "pandemic potential" virus this year,

The first signs that H5N1 avian flu was starting to spread from person to person would trigger a race to produce massive amounts of vaccine.

In the new study, the researchers collected samples containing virus from 26 dairy farms in eight states. Cows are not typically susceptible to this type of influenza, but H5N1 appears to have acquired mutations in late 2023 that allowed it to jump from wild birds to cattle in the Texas Panhandle, the researchers said.

A genetic study suggests that the bird flu virus spreading across dairy cows and in unpasteurized milk in several US states has underwent mutations, including some that makes it easier to transfer virus between different species.

B ird flu could mutate and spread among other animals and humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's top flu scientist said. Dr Vivien Dugan, acting Director of CDC'