This particularly virulent new strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) has spread throughout a large geographic area in Asia, Europe, and Africa since it was first documented in 1997 in Asia, and has caused the largest and most severe outbreaks in poultry on record.
The human cases to date have been in Eastern Europe (Turkey) and Asia, primarily in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and have been the result of direct or close contact with domestic (not wild) birds, especially chickens.
Unlike most avian influenza viruses, this new strain of H5N1 has caused mortality in over 80 species of wild birds.
As a general rule, people should observe wildlife, including wild birds, from a distance. This protects people from possible exposure to diseases and minimizes disturbance to the animal.
Avoid touching wildlife. If there is contact with wildlife, do not rub eyes, eat, drink, or smoke. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.
Do not pick up diseased or dead wildlife.
Contact your state, tribal, or federal natural resource agency if you find a sick or dead animal.
For other protection advice unrelated to wildlife, please go to http://www.flu.gov/.
Bird flu, the popular name for avian influenza (AI), is a disease primarily found in poultry and wild birds. Avian influenza can infect chickens, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl, as well as migratory waterfowl and shorebirds and, less commonly, mammals (pigs, horses, and marine mammals).
The virus can be spread through contact with fecal droppings, saliva, and nasal discharges of infected animals.
When the virus "jumps" to a new species, such as from wild birds to domestic animals or to humans, the virus may change or mutate into a new virus that is more adapted to the new host and is no longer the same virus that was originally in the wild bird population.
Go to the USGS Avian Influenza website for more information.
Bird migration is only one possible route of introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 into North America.
Illegal smuggling of birds and poultry products, travel by infected people or people traveling with virus-contaminated articles are more direct, and possibly more likely, means of introducing the new strain of HPAI H5N1 virus into the United States.
There are no documented cases of wild birds directly transmitting avian influenza to people.
There is currently no indication that waterfowl or other wild birds hunted in the United States carry highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1.
While experts believe the risk to hunters is currently low, scientists cannot guarantee that there is no risk. It is always wise to practice good hygiene when handling or cleaning any wild game.
Concerned hunters should take the precautions listed in the fact sheets referred to below, participate in harvest surveys where they occur, and keep up with new information on HPAI H5N1.
While currently there are unconfirmed reports of people being infected with H5N1 from dead wild birds, exposure to domestic and wild birds potentially infected with H5N1 should be avoided.
The only documented cases of transmission to humans are from poultry; these cases include both highly pathogenic and low pathogenic strains of avian influenza.
At the present time, close contact with infected domestic poultry has been the primary way that people have become infected with the HPAI H5N1 virus.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS is the scientific arm of the Department and has a long history of responding to wildlife disease emergencies and conducting wildlife disease investigations. The USGS is also supporting international highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) research efforts by contributing information and world-class expertise about migratory birds and bird movements.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The FWS is the federal wildlife management agency within the Department. The FWS administers the National Wildlife Refuge System, with many of its 545 refuges providing critical nesting, migration, and wintering habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds. FWS also carries out permitting and enforcement responsibilities under federal laws governing trade in wildlife species and products, and works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to regulate the importation of wild birds for the pet trade, research, and other purposes.
The National Park Service (NPS). With 388 areas in the NPS, the NPS has a key role in protecting the health of its visitors. The NPS hosts 32 commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service to meet this important responsibility.
Most avian influenza viruses have been isolated from wild waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans) and shorebirds (wading birds), gulls, and terns.
With rare exception, the thousands of flu isolates found in wild birds have been low pathogenic avian influenza and have rarely caused signs of illness.
The occurrence of avian influenza in wild ducks in North America reaches its height in late summer and early fall. At other times of the year, infection rates are usually less than 1 percent.
In shorebirds, infection rates are highest during the spring migration, although in comparison with waterfowl, their infection rates are much lower.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in collaboration with State of Alaska biologists have been strategically sampling migratory birds for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in the Pacific Flyway for several months. These efforts complement a series of ongoing avian influenza studies being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its university partners in Alaska, where birds that regularly migrate between Asia and North America are known to congregate and to nest.
Migratory birds usually travel the same routes in their annual migrations. In the Northern Hemisphere, birds begin moving south during August and September of each year. North American migratory birds that over-winter in Asia may come into contact with potentially infected domestic or wild birds during the winter months.
In spring, migratory birds will migrate north to their breeding grounds in eastern Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Migratory birds infected with the HPAI H5N1 returning from Asia can potentially interact with other North American wild birds as they co-mingle on the breeding grounds.
DOI is responsible for managing and protecting wildlife, including migratory birds, under various laws and treaties, and for protecting public health on more than 500 million acres of land that it manages across the country.
To carry out these responsibilities, the Department and its partners are investigating highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in migratory birds. DOI is also making plans to protect the health of its employees and the 450 million people that visit Department-managed lands each year.
Bird banding data are useful in both research and management projects. For example, individual identification of birds allows for possible studies of dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, life-span and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth. To elaborate a little more, birds can be vectors of diseases which effect people. Sampling wild birds for serious disease helps determine the prevalence of the disease in the population. Also, an analysis of banding information from game birds is completed annually and is essential for developing hunting regulations and for detecting changes in waterfowl populations.
The role of migratory birds in the transfer of the Asian H5N1 strain is not clear. Wild birds have been suggested, but to date they have not been confirmed to be the source of new outbreaks. The pattern and timing of several outbreaks have not coincided with periods of major migratory movements or migratory routes. However, there are also reports of wild bird mortality that are associated with outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in poultry. It is not known if wild birds were the source of the virus or acquired the virus from poultry; although, once infected they could be a potential source of infection for domestic poultry that are not isolated from wild birds.
Measures to protect from mosquito exposure are recommended. There is no evidence indicating direct bird-to-human transmission. Protective measures recommended for those working outdoors have been recommended by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/westnile/
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
