On 21 April 2025, the ICMR–National Institute of Virology in Pune, India released specimen data from a recent fatal human H5N1 case in India (EPI_ISL_19836227), belonging to clade 2.3.2.1a and clustering with a 2024 travel-associated case from West Bengal.

Limited surveillance of this lineage in India underscores the urgent need for expanded monitoring in poultry and wild birds to assess its spread, evolution, and zoonotic risk.