With reports of the first human death from bird flu in the US, some Americans are feeling an uncomfortable flashback to the early days of Covid-19, when infectious disease experts were talking about a new virus that was sending people to the hospital with respiratory infections.

Bird flu is increasingly sparking concern across the country and in Illinois, following news this week of the first human death from the virus in the U.S., and of birds found throughout Illinois with suspected cases of the illness.

In 2024, the United States saw an outbreak of the H5N1 virus, also known as the Bird Flu. The virus spread quickly among animals such as poultry and cattle and then transferred to humans, causing 66 cases across the nation.