Global Health Speaker Series 2024-2025
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Since 2021, there has been an unprecedented outbreak of the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian
influenza (HPAI) in North America and globally, affecting wild birds, domestic poultry, and marine and
terrestrial mammals, including dairy cows in the U.S. This widescale outbreak has also resulted in
numerous transmission events to people—from 2024 to January 6, 2025, 66 people in the U.S. were
infected with HPAI, including one person who died from the infection. More recently, Massachusetts
officials have communicated that HPAI is now “widespread” in the state, affecting both wild and domestic
birds. In this seminar, Drs. Runstadler and Gass will provide background and context of the current
epizootic global HPAI epidemic, including current understandings of potential risks to public health. They
will also discuss the development of interventions in countries where HPAI has been endemic.
Jonathan Runstadler
Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
