There is no evidence yet that the outbreak is extraordinary yet and Chinese officials have pushed back against claims of yet another pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is a reported spike in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, and they are monitoring it closely.

The CDC confirmed the first US-based severe human case of H5N1 bird flu in Louisiana in December. The Louisiana Department of Health reported Monday that the patient had died. The LDH revealed that the patient was over age 65,

The death in Louisiana — involving a person with underlying health conditions — is the first human case in the United States linked to exposure to backyard birds, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Explore the implications of the first human death from H5N1 bird flu in the US and what it means for public health.