Minnesota has reported its first H5N1 detection in poultry since April, which involves a commercial turkey farm in Redwood County. The detection comes on the heels of similar outbreaks in South Dakota and North Dakota earlier this month.

“Health officials and industry have been working hard over the summer to eliminate the virus from quarantined sites so the state could officially declare freedom of the disease on Aug. 25, 2025,” the Minnesota Board of Health said in a press release. “This detection resets Minnesota’s response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against avian influenza this fall.”

This detection resets Minnesota’s response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against avian influenza this fall.

This detection resets Minnesota’s response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against avian influenza this fall.

The flock included 20,000 turkeys. Officials said the detection is not entirely unexpected as fall is migration season for wild waterfowl.

New H5 detection in raccoon 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  reported 15 more H5N1 detections in wild birds, all with August and September sample collection dates. Most of the detections were in vultures, but some were waterfowl and other birds of prey. Locations of the infected birds range from Alaska to the Midwest to the East Coast.

Also, the USDA has reported one more H5 detection in wildlife and other mammals, a raccoon from Minnesota's Rice County with a June sample collection date.

Four people from four geographically distinct areas of Bangladesh have died of Nipah virus infections this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

The unrelated cases, which occurred between January 1 and August 29, include a child who died in August, outside of the country's usual Nipah virus season (December to April), and three adults (two men and one woman) with a history of consuming raw palm sap, a known risk. The child, a boy, wasn't known to have consumed raw palm sap, and his exposure is under investigation. 

The deaths occurred in Barisal, Dhaka, and Rajshahi divisions in the Bhola, Faridpur, and Pabna districts, respectively. Last year, five fatal Nipah cases were reported in the country.

Risk of international spread low 

Since Bangladesh experienced its first Nipah virus outbreak in 2001, human cases have been identified nearly every year, the WHO said. Of the 347 people with documented infections since 2001, 71.7% have died. 

WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by NiV [Nipah virus] at the national and regional levels to be moderate; the risk of international disease spread is considered low.

"The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Bangladesh has implemented several public health measures with support from WHO," the statement said. "WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by NiV [Nipah virus] at the national and regional levels to be moderate; the risk of international disease spread is considered low."

No drugs or vaccines against the virus are available, and treatment of severe respiratory and neurologic complications consists of intensive supportive care.

Nipah is transmitted from animals such as fruit bats and pigs to people, from person to person through close contact, and through food contaminated with the saliva, urine, and waste of infected animals. Nipah virus infection, which can cause severe illness and death in both people and animals, primarily causes outbreaks in South and South East Asia.

Infected people initially develop symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, and a sore throat. In severe cases, dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurologic signs can occur, indicating acute encephalitis (brain inflammation). Atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems sometimes develop, and encephalitis, seizures, and coma may ensue within 24 to 48 hours.

Over the past week, health officials in in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have confirmed two more Ebola virus cases and reported seven more deaths, raising the total to 38 confirmed cases and 23 deaths, a top official from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said today.  Ten deaths were reported earlier in people with suspected infections.

At a weekly briefing today, Yap Boum, PhD, MPH, deputy incident manager for Africa CDC's mpox response, said 23 people are currently under medical care, 17 with confirmed infection and 6 with suspected illnesses. Males make up 52% of cases, and children account for 44%. 

Cases are concentrated in six areas of Bulape health zone in Kasai province, which he said is a sign of control but also requires vigilance.

Boum said more than 1,000 contacts have been identified, with a case-to-contact ratio of 1:20, which he said is a sign of good progress with surveillance. Healthcare workers have vaccinated 613 people, including 68 medical colleagues, a group vulnerable to the virus, which spreads through infected body fluids.

Treatment center expands; WHO launches appeal

In other developments, the Ebola treatment center in Bulape has expanded from 21 to 34 beds. Boum said the main priorities are to continue identifying contacts, beef up cross-border surveillance, and scale up community engagement.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) also addressed the DRC’s latest Ebola outbreak at a briefing today on global health issues. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, congratulated the DRC on its leadership in responding to the outbreak declaration 2 weeks ago. “Years of investment and experience are paying off,” he said.

He added that 14 people have received treatment with the monoclonal antibody MAb114 (ansuvimab-zykl, also known as Ebanga). Earlier this week, two patients were discharged from treatment.

Following earlier deployment of medical equipment and experts, Tedros said the WHO is also launching an appeal for $21 million to help the DRC scale up its response to the Ebola outbreak.