The Lehigh Valley received a sobering reminder this past week that both birds and mammals are at risk from the avian flu that is spreading over the world.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current public health risk is low, despite the fact that hundreds of snow geese have died from what is thought to be avian influenza.
Here are some recent developments, starting locally, in the Type A H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza situation:
Testing shows bird flu in 200 snow geese found dead
An amazing and quite regular sight in the Lehigh Valley is a field or pond pocked with hundreds of snow geese, or an apparently endless stream of them soaring overhead.
They may also act as disease vectors.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said on Thursday that wild shorebirds and ducks are regarded as natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses. About 200 snow geese were discovered in the Lehigh Valley on Monday, and preliminary testing indicates that avian influenza is likely to be the cause of their deaths, the commission said.
Commission officials added in a news release that HPAI can cause illness or death in raptors (hawks, eagles), avian scavengers (crows, gulls, ravens), other waterfowl species (ducks, geese), and wild poultry (turkey, grouse), even though infected birds may shed the virus in their feces and saliva despite appearing healthy.
Dead birds found in Lower Nazareth and Upper Macungie townships were found to have Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, according to preliminary in-state testing. The Lehigh Valley has previously reported cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. It has already been verified in red foxes, commercial turkeys, and wild birds.
However, the Game Commission’s announcement coincides with the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Saylorsburg reporting that it has been overwhelmed with requests for snow geese that have died in big groups, resulting in responses that deplete the nonprofit members’ gas tanks and supplies of PPE and other essential equipment.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday, the center stated on Facebook that it had received countless snow geese from both the general public and Capture and Transport staff. All of the animals we’ve gotten have been showing neurological symptoms, and they were all put down right away to stop their misery. Once neurological problems appear, they do not recover and there is no cure.
Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in December that a genomic investigation indicates the bird fluvirus changed within a Louisiana patient who had the country’s first severe instance of the sickness.
Scientists say the changes are worrying but not alarming since they might make it possible for the virus to attach to receptors in the human upper airways more effectively.
Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota, compared this binding relationship to a lock and key. The virus needs a key that opens the lock in order to enter a cell, and this discovery suggests that the virus is evolving a potentially useful key.
Is this a sign that a virus that spreads easily between individuals might be closer than we think? Osterholm responded, “No.” This key is now in the lock, however it is unable to open the door.
Two Influenza A (H5N1) virions, a kind of avian flu virus, are depicted in this undated electron microscope image from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Jackie Katz and Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC via AP
Nearly all of those sick worked on dairy or poultry farms, and the virus has been causing intermittent, generally minor infections in humans in the U.S.
After coming into contact with ill and dead birds in a backyard flock, the Louisiana patient was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with acute respiratory symptoms caused by bird flu. According to officials last month, the unnamed individual is above 65 and has underlying health issues.
The CDC emphasized that no one else has been known to contract the infection from the Louisiana patient. The FDA stated that although its results about the mutations were alarming, the outbreak’s risk to the public has not altered and is still minimal.
However, Osterholm stated that researchers should keep a close eye on the developments around mutations.
According to him, there will be further influenza pandemics, and they might be considerably more severe than the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic clock is ticking, as we all know. The moment is simply unknown to us.
Cats can get sick with bird flu. Here s how to protect them.
Concerns regarding pet safety are being raised by the bird flu death of a house cat in Oregon and a pet food recall. Health officials in Oregon have linked the cat’s condition to raw turkey in frozen cat food.
On Thursday, December 26, 2024, a pet store employee in Tigard, Oregon, holds a bag of Northwest Naturals 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen cat food after the manufacturer voluntarily removed it from the stores.Jenny Kane/AP Photo
According to Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association, some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, which can be harmful or even lethal to the animals. Bird flu and other pathogens are eliminated by cooking meat or pasteurizing raw milk.
According to him, raw milk and raw meat items can and do spread this virus.
It appears that cats are more vulnerable to the avian flu virus than dogs.
Owners of pets should keep cats away from poultry, animals, and wild birds. “You don’t know what they’re getting into, so don’t let them roam freely in the outdoors,” Bailey advised. Birds are among the animals that cats enjoy hunting because they are innate hunters.
California declared an emergency over bird flu. How serious is the situation?
Due to the spread of avian flu, which is decimating dairy cows in the state and occasionally infecting Americans, California officials have declared a state of emergency.
This presents fresh concerns for the virus, which has been circulating in wild birds, commercial poultry, and other animal species for years.
In March, the Type A H5N1 virus was initially identified in dairy cattle in the United States. Since then, at least 915 herds in 16 states have been confirmed to have avian flu.
According to health officials last month, more than 60 people in eight states have contracted the virus, most of them with mild symptoms. However, the Louisiana infection is the first severe disease linked to the virus in the country.
In order to better position state personnel and supplies to respond to the epidemic, Governor Gavin Newsom announced in December that he had proclaimed a state of emergency.
During processing, California has been searching for avian flu in huge milk tanks. Additionally, at least 650 herds—roughly three-quarters of all afflicted dairy herds in the United States—had been discovered to have the virus.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024, dairy cattle relax outside at Merrymead Farms, located outside Lansdale on South Valley Forge Road (Route 363) in Worcester Township, Montgomery County.Regarding lehighvalleylive.com, Kurt Bresswein
What s the risk to the general public?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have emphasized that there is no risk to the public from the virus.
Crucially, there have been no instances of transmission from person to person or indications that the virus has evolved to transmit more readily among people.
Flu specialists generally concurred with that conclusion, stating that it is too soon to predict the outbreak’s future course.
“I don’t think we know yet,” Richard Webby, an influenza specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stated, which is a very inadequate response.
However, because flu viruses are always changing and even minor genetic alterations could alter the prognosis, virus researchers are cautious.
How can people protect themselves?
According to the CDC and other experts, those who come into contact with dairy cows, commercial poultry, or backyard birds are more vulnerable and should take protective measures including wearing gloves and eye and respiratory protection.
Osterholm, a public health specialist at the University of Minnesota, advised them to exercise extreme caution when handling birds that are starting to show signs of illness or death.
In order to protect farmworkers against seasonal flu and the possibility of contracting two different flu strains at once, which could lead to the bird flu virus evolving and becoming more dangerous, the CDC has funded flu vaccinations. Additionally, the authorities stated that even if farmworkers do not exhibit any symptoms, they should be examined and given antiviral medications if they had close contact with sick animals.
What about raw milk products?
The H5N1 virus can spread through raw milk in addition to direct contact with wild birds and farm animals. The United States Food and Drug Administration states that pasteurized milk is safe to consume since the heat treatment destroys the virus.
However, unpasteurized milk has been discovered to contain large amounts of the virus. Additionally, in the weeks following the virus’s discovery at farms and in the products, raw milk sold in Californian supermarkets was recalled.
Two indoor cats who were fed the recalled raw milk in Los Angeles passed away from avian flu infections, according to county officials. More reports of sick cats were being looked into by officials.
Health officials urge people to avoid drinking raw milk, which can spread a host of germs in addition to bird flu.
The U.S. Agriculture Department hasstepped up testing of raw milkacross the country to help detect and contain the outbreak. A federal order issued this month requires testing, which began this week in 13 states.
As part of itsrecommended protective actions, the CDC advises people not eat or drink raw milk or products made with raw milk choosing pasteurized milk is the best way to keep you and your family safe.
Pennsylvania has stood behind its raw milkproducers because of the statewide permitting and testing program administered by the state Department of Agriculture.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the New Jersey Department of Health last May both sought to remind residents of the risks associated with consuming raw milk amidst the current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, especially considering virus detections in dairy cows in some states.
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The Associated Press and supervising reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this report. Reach him [email protected].
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