Should We Be Afraid of Bird Flu in Down Pillows?

Feb 22, 2025

Good news from a microbiologist—along with what to know.

The recent attention to the increase in avian flu cases, also known as bird flu, across the U.S. and globally has many shoppers concerned about the quality (and availability) of the chicken and eggs they get from the grocery store. However, some may also wonder if buying bedding products that contain down feathers, such as down pillows and comforters, could also carry a risk factor as well.

We asked microbiologist and Ph.D. candidate Samuel Verzino about these concerns, and he told us that consumers don’t have any reason to worry about the down-filled bedding purchases they're planning to make.

“A consumer should have zero fear that coming into contact with feathers from a commercially purchased down pillow or comforter would contain any type of viral titer that would pose a risk of transmission,” he said.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 69 cases of bird flu in the U.S. as of this writing, and almost all of them have been attributed to direct animal exposure. There have not been reported cases of someone contracting the disease from down feathers. The CDC also says birds infected with avian flu spread it through their saliva, mucus, and feces. Humans can become infected with the virus when it gets into their eyes, nose, and mouth, or is inhaled.

Verzino further explains that while “viruses can be transmitted from an object like feathers from an infected bird,” the likelihood of this is “reduced with every second that this feather is no longer part of a functioning cellular system.”

While the worry regarding down bedding products is certainly understandable, Verzino says he would be “far more concerned about bird flu” when he’s buying chicken from the grocery store than he would be about “purchasing a down pillow from a reputable storefront.”

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