Yes.
A woman in Wyoming was hospitalized in February after contracting avian influenza H5N1 from exposure through her backyard chicken flock. However, human infections from backyard poultry are generally rare.
Avian flu can spread from birds to people through direct contact with infected birds, touching contaminated surfaces or inhaling the virus. Many infected birds do not show symptoms but remain contagious. Avian flu can also spread to dairy cattle, pigs, goats, cats and dogs.
As of February, Colorado had seen 10 human cases of bird flu since May 2024. Nine came from workers exposed to commercial chicken farms and the last from a dairy farm.
Nationwide, there have been 70 human cases of bird flu with one fatal case. There is no known human-to-human transmission, with most human cases seen in farm workers in contact with infected cattle and poultry. General risk of avian flu to the public remains low.
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