Bird flu in Connecticut: Wild birds and poultry are affected, but so far, no human cases

CTInsider – Friday, December 27, 2024
By Jordan Nathaniel Fenster

There has been an active bird flu outbreak in the United States since 2022, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the first case in wild birds since 2016.

Avian influenza has been around for some time, mutating and infecting both mammals and birds for years, with the current “highly pathogenic avian influenza,” called “HPAI H5N1,” identified in 2020.

Since then, the virus has continued to spread and mutate, impacting animals in all 50 states, including Connecticut.

Here’s everything you need to know about the current outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu.

Humans

The current bird flu outbreak has been on health officials’ radar for almost three years now. In total, there have been 65 confirmed total reported human cases in the United States, 36 of those in California and none on the East Coast.

The CDC reported the first “severe” case in humans on Dec. 18, in Louisiana, and there has been no documented human-to-human transmission to date.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health said in a statement that while seasonal flu vaccines do not provide protection against a bird flu infection, “the CDC is working with state health departments to continue to monitor workers who may have been in contact with infected or potentially infected birds/animals and test those people who develop symptoms.”

Livestock

Though called “bird flu,” the current outbreak of avian influenza has primarily impacted livestock in the United States, most notably dairy herds.

There have been 893 confirmed cases in 17 states to date, though none in Connecticut, according to the CDC. The outbreak among dairy cows is considered “widespread.”

In April, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, issued an order requiring all livestock herds being transported interstate to be tested for avian influenza.

“HPAI is deadly to domestic poultry and can wipe out entire flocks within a matter of days,” the order said. “HPAI is a threat to the poultry industry, animal health, human health, trade, and the economy worldwide.”

There have been 215 cases of avian influenza in cattle nationwide within the last 30 days, according to the USDA.

Domestic birds

In Connecticut, there have been a few birds impacted. Only two cases so far have been identified in domesticated flocks, pets, or birds kept for breeding or showing, and none from commercial poultry.

Both of those identified cases occurred in 2022, one in New London County and one in New Haven County.

Nationwide, a total of 125.6 million birds have been affected in all 50 states. The largest single outbreak in recent years was in 2022, when a flock of 5.3 million egg-laying birds were affected in Iowa.

More recently, a flock of nearly 300,000 egg-laying birds were affected in California.

Wild birds

Wild Connecticut birds have been impacted much more. There have been 61 documented cases so far, the most recent being a Canada goose in New Haven County back in February.

Bird flu has been seen in wild birds tested in all but two Connecticut counties, Fairfield and Windham.

Nationwide, there have been 10,917 wild birds affected.

Other mammals

In Washington state, 20 big cats at an animal sanctuary died from the disease, CNN reported. In total, there have been 418 cases of mammals other than humans or livestock infected with bird flu, including two bottlenose dolphins in Florida and seals in Maine, according to the USDA.

Closer to home there has been no detection of bird flu in Connecticut mammals, though there have been foxes, raccoons and wild cats infected in New York and Rhode Island.

There have been 57 cases of domestic cats catching avian influenza, most recently in Fresno, Calif., earlier this month.

Can you catch bird flu from eggs?

Yes, there is a risk of bird flu-transmission from eggs, though the FDA said the risk is considered low, according to a risk assessment conducted in 2010.

“The likelihood that eggs from infected poultry are found in the retail market is low and proper storage and preparation further reduce the risk,” the FDA wrote.

Though the consumption of raw blood infected with bird flu has resulted in transmission to humans, the USDA has said that it is not considered a foodborne illness: “Currently, there is no compelling epidemiological evidence linking the consumption of cooked poultry meat, shell eggs, or egg products to human illness” caused by bird flu.

Can you catch bird flu from milk?

Bird flu is transmissible through raw, untreated milk and, in October, the FDA began a study, called the “silo study,” to determine how prevalent the virus is in the United States milk supply.

“The current risk of infection from avian influenza to residents of Connecticut remains low. Because pasteurization kills pathogens, including avian influenza, in milk, residents of Connecticut should be reassured by the safety of drinking or eating pasteurized dairy products,” said state health commissioner Manisha Juthani.

According to the FDA, the standard pasteurization process, called “high temperature, short time,” will inactivate the virus.

Access this article at its original source.