The latest bird flu detections come as the U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to rehire bird flu experts​ that were fired as part of DOGE cost-cutting efforts.

Summary

The USDA confirmed H5N1 bird flu in rats for the first time, detecting the virus in four black rats in California near recent poultry outbreaks.

Other infected mammals include a harbor seal, a fox, a bobcat, and a cat likely exposed through contaminated raw pet food.

The discovery comes as the USDA scrambles to rehire bird flu experts recently fired under cost-cutting measures.

Since 2022, the virus has led to mass poultry culls, rising egg prices, infections in dairy cows, and nearly 70 human cases, including one fatality.