Were that to happen, Chan said, Rhode Island is in a stronger position to respond to an H5N1 outbreak than it was to COVID-19. “The good news about influenza is that even though H5N1 is a new ...

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island hasn't had any human cases of bird flu, and the H5N1 avian influenza hasn't been detected in any commercial bird flocks here. However, the highly pathogenic virus has ...

The first case was announced in Rhode Island on March 1 ... if we had a bird flu pandemic," said Mermel, talking about H5N1. "So when people have asked me over the years what keeps me up at ...

The Rhode Island Department of Health says animal health ... “At the national level, a significant decline in H5N1 cases typically occurs in the summer, likely because migratory birds have ...

The pandemic served as a boot camp for Rhode Island public health officials and infectious diseases doctors, preparing them for future health crises ...