Over the past several months, bird-flu numbers have been steadily ticking up, especially among farmworkers who interact closely with cows. I spoke with my colleague Katherine J. Wu, who reports on science, about her level of concern right now, and the government’s response to the spread of the virus so far.

Americans have also not fared too well with the bird flu. At least 66 people, most of them dairy workers, have been infected. Last week, the Louisiana Health Department reported the country’s first human death from bird flu: that of a 65-year-old man who had exposure to a backyard flock.

A fourth case of bird flu is under investigation. State agriculture officials discovered it in Clayton County.