If taking charge of your health is among your New Year’s resolutions, you might consider getting your 2024–25 seasonal influenza shot if you haven’t already. While it won’t protect you from H5N1 bird flu per se,

The CDC's analysis revealed changes in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, a critical component for the virus's ability to attach to host cells. The mutations "were not found in virus sequences from poultry samples collected on the patient's property, suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection," the CDC stated in its December 26 update.