The ongoing bird flu outbreak has led to wild bird deaths, slaughtered livestock, and hazardous conditions for dairy industry workers.

New research suggests that past exposure to seasonal flu viruses may help protect people from severe illness caused by the H5N1 avian flu virus. Scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that older adults who were exposed to flu viruses circulating before 1968 were more likely to have antibodies that recognize H5N1.

A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu is spreading south along the Antarctic Peninsula and could devastate populations of penguins and other seabirds