avian influenza

American  

[ey-vee-uhn in-floo-en-zuh] / ˈeɪ vi ən ˌɪn fluˈɛn zə /

Also avian flu

noun

Pathology

1. a form of influenza that afflicts poultry and other birds, and that is transmissible to humans.

   An earlier outbreak of avian influenza had been reported in the Northeast last month.

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Etymology

Origin of avian influenza

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

What has helped is that the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has faded.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

More than 50 skuas died in Antarctica during the summers of 2023 and 2024 after becoming infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Health officials say the risk to the public remains low and that no other people involved have tested positive for avian influenza.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

The avian influenza virus known as H5N1 has threatened U.S. poultry farms since 2022, after migratory waterfowl carried a new strain of the virus into North and South America.

From Barron's • Oct. 28, 2025

Over time mutation lets animal diseases jump to people: avian influenza becomes human influenza, bovine rinderpest becomes human measles, horsepox becomes human smallpox.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann