Map shows where bird flu is spreading in US amid new warning

Outbreaks of the spreading bird flu have been recorded in nearly every state, according to the US’s national public health agency which has issued a new health warning.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has affected 48 states and 513 counties, together reporting 1,116 outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest update on Wednesday.

A CDC map reveals counties across the US have reported outbreaks of the bird flu, with some states showing more spots than others.

Only two states have not had outbreaks – Hawaii and Louisiana.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new health alert around H5N1 on Friday (Picture: Getty Images)

On Friday, two days after the map was updated, the CDC issued a health alert informing clinicians, state health departments and the public of recently confirmed H5N1 infection in a human, presumably from dairy cattle.

Have humans been infected with the bird flu?

The advisory detailed the first case ever of a human catching the bird flu from dairy cows in the US. The patient is a farm worker at a commercial dairy farm in Texas and developed conjunctivitis around March 27 and then tested positive for H5N1.

Shortly before the human infection, the bird flu was found in cows for the first time in the world in the US states of Texas, Kansas and New Mexico.

Six US states have cattle infected with bird flu (Picture: Metro graphic)

The CDC is recommending that people avoid being near sick or dead animals and surfaces contaminated with animal feces, litter and raw milk when not wearing eye and respiratory protection.