The ongoing threat to animal and public health, as well as economic toll, of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus, more commonly known as H5N1 or the avian flu, have led the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to initiate a $1 billion dollar comprehensive strategy to curb HPAI, protect the U.S. poultry industry and lower egg prices, in addition to its existing funding to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks. The agency is taking a five-pronged approach to prevent the introduction or spread of avian flu, as well as support America’s farmers and ranchers by:
- Investing in gold-standard biosecurity measures for all U.S. poultry producers
—The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will lead this $500 million expansion of biosecurity assessments and audits - Increasing relief to aid farmers and accelerate repopulation
- Removing unnecessary regulatory burdens on the chicken/egg industry to further innovation and reduce consumer prices
- Exploring pathways toward vaccines, therapeutics and research to improve response strategies (e.g., diagnostics, biosecurity, surveillance) for the protection of egg laying chickens to reduce instances of depopulation
—In April, the $100 million USDA-led initiative, HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge Funding Opportunity, announced that it was seeking proposals for projects in these areas - Considering temporary import-export options to reduce costs on consumers and evaluate international best practices
Additionally, states like Iowa, Louisiana and Colorado, have followed California’s lead and issued emergency/disaster declarations due to the rapid spread of avian flu in dairy cattle in their states. Not only are sick cows less productive, but their milk is heavily infected with the virus and must be destroyed. Representatives from Louisiana and Colorado, as well as Pennsylvania, presented on their surveillance, public health actions, and overall emergency preparedness and response efforts to H5N1 in dairy cattle herds at the National Governors Association in February.
The USDA has also implemented a to facilitate comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds. The strategy is designed to 1) increase knowledge about how the virus spreads in the U.S., 2) support the rapid implementation of enhanced biosecurity measures to decrease the risk of transmission to other livestock, and 3) inform critical efforts to protect farmworkers to help lower their risk of exposure.National Milk Testing Strategy to facilitate comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds. The strategy is designed to 1) increase knowledge about how the virus spreads in the U.S., 2) support the rapid implementation of enhanced biosecurity measures to decrease the risk of transmission to other livestock, and 3) inform critical efforts to protect farmworkers to help lower their risk of exposure.
These national and state level responses to H5N1 aren’t just prudent – they’re essential. By accelerating the development and deployment of innovative solutions, we can protect our agricultural industry, and ultimately ourselves from a threat that grows more serious with each passing day.
The Time for Action Is Now
Now, more than ever, the need for solutions is critical, as the virus is spreading and evolving rapidly across species boundaries, threatening animal welfare, economic stability and potentially human health. The bird flu catastrophe has continued to worsen since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking H5N1 in commercial poultry and backyard flocks in the U.S. in February 2022. As of May, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 169 million birds have been affected, and avian flu has been detected in flocks in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Poultry aren’t the only animals being affected by the virus, as H5N1 has spread to dairy cows in 17 states, swine and companion pets (cats). In the Pacific Northwest, there have been reported cases of domestic cats contracting the virus from raw food—prompting the USDA to require pet food manufacturers to include H5N1 in their safety protocols.
The economic toll of H5N1 is already staggering. For dairy farmers, the virus means not only less productive cattle but also unsellable, infected milk. While the Federal government offers emergency relief to dairy producers who incur milk losses through its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), these measures fail to address the full scope of financial harm.
Even more devastating has been the impact on the poultry industry. Unlike cattle, which experience a relatively low mortality rate of about 2%, entire flocks of chickens, ducks and turkeys can be killed in a matter of days by H5N1. By late 2024, American poultry and egg producers had already suffered $1.4 billion in losses — even with the U.S. government compensating producers when they cull their flocks, it can take months to replace the birds, which is a long time to go without revenue.
While experts maintain that the risk to human health remains low, we should not be complacent. The virus has already mutated, is spreading among cattle and appears to be making progress toward doing so in people. To date, there have been 70 reported human cases in the U.S. and one death. More worryingly, recent genetic analyses of H5N1 isolated from a human patient revealed mutations that enable the virus to replicate more efficiently in human cells.
The longer H5N1 circulates unchecked among livestock and poultry, the greater the probability it evolves to spread efficiently between humans. Some studies indicate that a single mutation could enable the virus to specifically target receptors on human cells. The detection of H5N1 in pigs raises additional concerns, as pigs can contract both avian and human influenza variants, creating opportunities for genetic recombination.
The global experience with H5N1 provides a sobering perspective: approximately half of all confirmed human cases worldwide have proven fatal. If the virus gains the ability to spread easily from person to person, we could face a pandemic with devastating consequences.
A Path Forward: Accelerating Innovative Solutions
In its $1 billion dollar strategy to curb HPAI, the USDA has recognized the need for increased bio-surveillance and other innovative solutions to get ahead of outbreaks and minimize depopulation of egg-laying chickens.
At Alveo Technologies, we have developed a paradigm-shifting solution to help with biosecurity and surveillance already in use in the EU and Middle East. Our first-of-its-kind Alveo Sense Poultry Avian Influenza Test is a portable molecular test for H5N1 made possible by IntelliSense™, a patented method of direct electrical sensing of nucleic acid amplification. The rugged design of our palm-sized analyzer allows users to test at the Point of Need™ – on the farm and in the field – for different pathogens and receive accurate and rapid results in about 45 minutes via a mobile app. Through our Alveo Vista™ portal, the raw data and analytics from these results can be automatically geotagged, uploaded to the cloud in a private and secure environment, and then exported for regulatory agencies and state veterinarians to have actionable insights at light speed. The ability to “know sooner/act faster” with Alveo Sense allows producers, veterinarians and government agencies to better manage and make decisions quickly regarding the avian flu.
Our technology could also expedite and support processes within USDA labs to help make their testing more cost-effective and efficient. Currently, H5N1 testing is reliant on centralized laboratory testing using PCR-based tests conducted in authorized laboratories, which creates multiple barriers to rapid detection. Samples must be physically transported to labs, adding days to the process. Additionally, sample quality can degrade during transportation if there are delays, potentially yielding inaccurate results. And, of course, labs have a limited capacity and can become bottlenecks during periods of high demand, further delaying results.
These delays have real consequences. In the days – or weeks – it takes to confirm an infection, H5N1 can spread to additional herds and flocks. The current system makes proactive testing extremely challenging. And without it, producers could easily infect additional flocks and herds by unknowingly transporting infected animals that aren’t yet showing symptoms.
Similar problems exist for human testing. The best practice today is for hospitals to test all patients with flu-like symptoms for influenza A and then forward samples that don’t turn out to be seasonal flu to specialized public health labs that can test for H5N1. This situation creates a multi-step process that could take up to two weeks to return confirmation of a human bird flu infection. By then, patients, particularly farm workers who face the highest risk of exposure, may be too far along in their illness to benefit from early interventions.
To effectively combat H5N1, we need testing technologies like those that Alveo has developed for poultry that combine PCR-level accuracy with rapid molecular results at the Point of Need™. While the CDC is partnering with industry to develop such tests for humans, the more urgent need is for rapid, accurate diagnostics for poultry and cattle, where the virus is already spreading rapidly.
The USDA plays a crucial role in ensuring animal diagnostics are safe and effective and has an outstanding record in its efforts. Its current initiatives, along with biotech’s existing testing technology, have the potential to further accelerate development of innovative solutions, while simultaneously informing evidence-based policy. We believe that every problem has a clear and oftentimes simple solution when you apply the right knowledge and are open to different perspectives and collaboration.
Shaun Holt
Shaun Holt is CEO of Alveo Technologies.
