Scientists say no immediate threat to humans
The Putnam County Department of Health confirmed on Jan. 17 that the carcass of a wild goose found at Green Chimneys in Brewster last month tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
On Thursday (Jan. 30), the state Department of Agriculture and Markets said five more birds — three wild and two domestic — had tested positive at Green Chimneys, which provides therapeutic services for children that focus on animals and nature. The staff is being monitored for symptoms of illness, although none have been tested for avian flu, the county health department said. Green Chimneys has paused its public programs.
The birds at Green Chimneys are among four confirmed cases of the disease statewide in the past two weeks: On Jan. 21, health officials on Long Island announced a positive case at a commercial poultry farm with over 100,000 birds. The facility, Crescent Duck Farm in Suffolk County, has been placed under quarantine while its staff is tested. Its entire stock will be destroyed.
On Wednesday (Jan. 29), the Ulster County Department of Health announced that all but two of about 50 chickens and ducks at an unnamed farm had died of avian influenza. The remaining birds were euthanized. “Human contact with the birds was limited to the owners and a veterinarian, who will remain under surveillance for symptoms over the next 10 days,” the department said in a statement.
On Thursday, the state said it had confirmed two cases in Romulus, in the Finger Lakes, with tests pending on birds found dead on Seneca Lake and Onondaga Lake near Syracuse.
Residents who encounter dead birds should avoid making contact. On Wednesday, on Perks Boulevard in Philipstown, Stephen Heath reported finding a dead hawk in his yard that did not appear to have injuries. He contacted the state Department of Environmental Conservation but was told that the agency isn’t collecting further samples for testing. It advised him to triple-bag the carcass while wearing gloves and a mask before throwing it in the trash.
Suspected bird flu cases can be reported online at bit.ly/DECbirdflu, but an agency representative said there’s not much that can be done for wild birds. People should assume any dead bird is infected and follow the guidelines at cdc.gov/bird-flu/prevention.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is unusual for humans to be infected by avian influenza viruses and it typically occurs only because of close or lengthy unprotected contact (i.e., no gloves or respiratory or eye protection) with infected birds “or places that sick birds or their saliva, mucous and feces have touched.” Infection can also occur through an intermediary animal, such as a cat or cow.
The CDC has confirmed 67 cases of bird flu in humans, nearly all attributed to close contact with sick cattle or poultry, and one death, announced on Jan. 6 — an older Louisiana resident who contracted avian influenza from backyard chickens.
There have been no reported human infections in New York state. The first bird flu viruses emerged in China in 1996 and Hong Kong in 1997, leading to 18 confirmed human infections. The first U.S. case was recorded in 2022.
Avian influenza showed up in Dutchess County in 2022. Over the past two years, the virus has been evolving and has been detected in over 40 mammalian species, said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician and founding director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“As of last spring, this virus has made a jump from birds into dairy cows, which has led to a scenario where many more humans may now come into contact with cows on dairy farms that are being infected,” she said. “That has led to what we call ‘sporadic infections,’ where the infection is transmitted from an animal into humans. Thankfully, we do not see any evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.”
Because tens of millions of commercial chickens have been killed after exposure to the virus, it has caused egg prices to jump more than 36 percent over the past 12 months, according to federal data.
At Titusville Farm in Poughkeepsie, Director Leon Vahaba said that avian influenza was a primary concern for him and other local farmers trying to avoid the fate of Crescent Duck Farm. “If you have one documented case, you have to kill your entire flock,” he said, noting that small farms generally do not have crop insurance.
Migrating shorebirds such as ducks and geese are a leading cause of the flu in domesticated birds. Over the winter, Vahaba keeps the thousands of birds he raises inside, where they’re warm and protected. But for the rest of the year, the birds are at pasture, which increases the risk of contamination.
“We’re by the Hudson and Wappingers Creek, so a lot of wild birds are constantly flying back and forth [during migration] and stopping in the creek to chill out,” he said. The east branch of the Croton River flows through Green Chimneys, where the infected goose was found.
Because some Titusville staff members raise chickens at home, Vehaba requires them to change clothes when they arrive and leave at the end of the day to reduce the chance of cross-contamination. The CDC maintains a website with advice for backyard chicken owners at cdc.gov/birdflu/caring.
Over 900 dairy herds have tested positive for avian influenza in 16 states since March, but it has not yet shown up in New York cows. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets began dairy testing initiatives on Jan. 10 in collaboration with 27 other states. Raw milk permit holders must participate in the program because scientists have identified raw milk as a way for the virus to spread. In California, dozens of household cats have died after consuming raw pet food or raw milk.
“The good news is H5N1 [the strain detected in New York State] is much easier to kill as a virus than most other pathogens out there,” said Bhadelia. “Pasteurization can render the virus inactive. If you drink pasteurized milk, you’re safe.”
While the virus cannot spread from one person to another, Bhadelia said it’s vital to prevent people from being infected; the more people it infects, the better chance it has to develop the ability to spread.
“Our hope is that if we limit the spread of this virus between animals and humans, and then among humans, it will not get to a point where it potentially becomes the level of pandemic that we saw with COVID-19,” she said.
