Bird flu has spread to Hawaii for the first time ever amid growing concerns the virus could soon learn to jump between humans.
But they are also being told the risk from bird flu on the island is ‘low.’
Hawaii is the 49th state to report bird flu in domestic poultry, with Louisiana now the only one yet to detect the virus.
Bird flu normally spreads via contact with saliva, nasal secretions and feces from infected birds.
Scientists warned over the mutations after analyzing the flu virus genes that were posted online by Canadian health authorities.
As worries about the virus’s potential to soon learn to jump between humans grow, bird flu has made its first appearance in Hawaii.
According to officials, migratory birds are probably the source of the H5N1 virus that was detected in ducks and geese on a backyard farm on the island of Oahu, which is home to the state capital, last week.
Officials are concerned that the virus may still be present on the island even though more than 70 of the birds, including a swan and eight ducklings, have been killed.
Birds that are sick or dead should be avoided, and residents should notify state authorities right away.
However, they are also informed that the island has a “low” risk of bird flu. “…
When it was discovered that a Canadian teen in critical condition had contracted a strain of bird flu that had evolved to more effectively infect humans, H5N1 began to spread.
Researchers expressed concern about the case, calling it “bad news,” but they also noted that the virus most likely acquired the mutations after infecting the patient and had not spread to other people.
The person, who has not been identified, has been in critical condition in the hospital for over a week, though it is unclear where they got the virus.
Since the virus unexpectedly spread to cows in 2022, officials have been on the lookout for bird flu, citing increased risk of human infection.
Along with 10,000 wild birds and 500 dairy herds spread across 15 states, the infection has so far infected over 100 million poultry.
The majority of the 53 infected individuals in the US are farm workers who have close contact with cows or poultry.
A mild illness involving conjunctivitis, or red eye, and some respiratory symptoms affected each patient.
Human-to-human transmission is not present, and no Americans were ill enough to require hospitalization.
However, experts caution that any infection carries the risk of the virus developing mutations that improve its ability to spread among people and trigger a new pandemic.
With Louisiana being the only state to have detected the virus, Hawaii is the 49th to report bird flu in domestic poultry.
The Hawaii State Laboratories Division identified the infections, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, verified their findings.
After all of her rescue birds had to be put down, Susan Wilkinson, the sanctuary’s founder, wrote a heartfelt Instagram post.
She fought back tears and said, “I lost 20 of my angels. I thought it was a poisoning and panicked.”.
When I discovered more than a week later that it was bird flu, the worst-case scenario was evident, and they had to come and put everyone to death. “…
Despite being tested for bird flu, Ms. Wilkinson did not have the illness.
It is now suggested that she avoid birds for two weeks because the virus might still be present on her clothes and shoes.
Authorities say the 120-day ban on rescue birds from her sanctuary will help guarantee that the virus has been eradicated before reintroducing any new birds.
“I don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” Ms. Wilkinson went on. I need you to take this seriously if you reside on Oahu or any of the other islands.
It is really, really awful; it is not a joke or a government conspiracy.
Because this disease spreads quickly, please quarantine everything, bleach everything down, and exercise extreme caution. “.”.
According to experts, the virus was most likely carried to the island by migratory wild birds from the US mainland.
Typically, contact with an infected bird’s saliva, nasal secretions, or feces is how bird flu is spread. Additionally, it could spread through sneeze droplets.
Although it is unclear how the virus infected cows, experts speculate that it may have done so through contact with the secretions of infected or deceased birds. Then, it might have been transferred from cow to cow through respiratory droplets and milking machines.
Every time the virus infects a non-avian mammal, experts say, there is a greater chance that it will develop a mutation that would make it more capable of infecting people.
The majority of human cases in the United States were linked to infected poultry or cattle.
Only one, a patient in Missouri who tested positive even though they had no known contact with farm animals or wild birds, has an unidentified source. Before getting better, they had a slight illness and reddening of the eyes.
Health officials in Canada are also unsure of how a teenager contracted bird flu.
They said the teen had been around dogs, cats, and reptiles but had not been to any farms.
After examining the flu virus genes published online by Canadian health authorities, scientists issued a warning about the mutations.
According to experts, the mutations most likely appeared after the child contracted the virus, as it tried to adjust to its host.
“This is bad news,” University of Pennsylvania microbiologist Dr. Scott Hensley wrote in a Bluesky post.
“We need to step up our surveillance efforts and keep a close eye on this situation.”. “.”.
