bird flu
noun
: avian influenza
specifically
: severe often fatal influenza A caused by strains of a subtype (H5N1) of the causative orthomyxovirus that have produced epidemics in domestic birds especially in Asia with sporadic associated human infections
Examples of bird flu in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bird flu had a historic outbreak in 2022 and surged once again at the end of 2023.
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Alex Harring,gabriel Cortés, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2024
How much the bird flu has spread beyond infected farms remains unclear.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
Most people diagnosed with the bird flu have been infected from animals.
—Amy Maxmen, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024
Related: Listen: Anthony Fauci on presidents, bird flu, and turning down a multimillion-dollar job
That said, zoonotic transfer of three different coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2) from other animals to humans have resulted in epidemics or pandemics in the past 25 years.
—John P. Moore, STAT, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bird flu 
Alex Harring,gabriel Cortés, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2024
How much the bird flu has spread beyond infected farms remains unclear.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
Most people diagnosed with the bird flu have been infected from animals.
—Amy Maxmen, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024
Related: Listen: Anthony Fauci on presidents, bird flu, and turning down a multimillion-dollar job
That said, zoonotic transfer of three different coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2) from other animals to humans have resulted in epidemics or pandemics in the past 25 years.
—John P. Moore, STAT, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bird flu
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bird flu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bird flu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bird%20flu. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bird flu
noun
: avian influenza
specifically
: severe often fatal influenza A caused by strains of a subtype (H5N1) of the causative orthomyxovirus that have produced epidemics in domestic birds especially in Asia with sporadic associated human infections
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