Avian flu makes its way to N.D.

COVID-19 could very well be on the wane in North Dakota, but a new disease transmissable through animal/human contact has seen its first confirmed case in a seven-year span in the state.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, abbreviated HPAI, was detected in a domestic chicken flock in Kidder County late last month.

The case was identified by the NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and later confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) lab in Ames, Iowa.

The birds on the farm were depopulated and quarantine was put into effect, and domestic birds within a 10-kilometer control zone around that farm are being monitored to prevent further spread of the disease.

State Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, in a press release, said that protection of North Dakota poultry producers and backyard bird owners is “high priority.”

“This is the first case of HPAI in poultry in the state since 2015,” Goehring said.

Avian influenza rarely poses a risk to humans, says Carolyn Tedrow, Field Veterinarian for APHIS, but caution with handling any birds with suspected HPAI is highly encouraged.

If the virus does manage to infect a person, symptoms can be very severe.

The H5N1 strain of the virus, known as the Eurasian strain, caused a wave of avian flu outbreaks in Europe and Asia in 2021. It is a subtype of influenza type A.

Persons most at risk for transmission, according to Tedrow, are those who handle birds frequently.

HPAI is most commonly present in an infected bird’s mucus, feces, or feathers, and transmission is mostly caused when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth by direct contact.

Tedrow offers some safety tips for those who handle birds, as presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Avoid contact with wild birds.

• Avoid contact with domestic birds that appear sick or dead.

• Avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with the feces of wild or domestic birds.

• Handle raw poultry hygienically.

• Thoroughly cook poultry products before heating, to at least an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

• Get tested if you come in contact with infected birds.

• Wash your hands before you eat or touch your eyes, nose or mouth, stay at home if you are sick, and encourage others to do the same.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is also requesting the public’s assistance in monitoring HPAI in wild birds.

Any sick or dead birds should be reported to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department by filling out an online form at gf.nd.gov/mortality-report.

For more information on HPAI, visit usgs.gov/centers/nwhc, or aphis.usda.gov.

About HPAI/H5N1

H5N1, or avian flu, was first detected in 1996 in Guangdong Province, China. Since 2003, when more stringent record-keeping of cases began, there have been a total of 863 documented human cases of H5N1, with 456 deaths, a 52.8 percent fatality rate.

The majority of those cases were in southeast Asia and northern Africa. The country hardest hit was Indonesia (168 deaths), followed by Egypt (120), Vietnam (64), Cambodia (37) and China (31).

The closest H5N1 has come to the United States was one isolated case in Canada in 2013, where the person infected died from the disease.

Along with HPAI, there is also low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), which is not as severe and often manifests in mild symptoms like ruffled feathers and decreased egg production in bird populations. However, viral mutations can cause LPAI to become HPAI.

Pathological capabilities of H5N1 in the USA are considered fairly low, and has been deemed endemic among North American birds.

So far, over tens of millions of birds worldwide have died from H5N1, and even more have been slaughtered to prevent the virus’s spread.

The first confirmed case of the H5N1 Eurasian strain in the country was confirmed in January, when a wild duck in South Carolina tested positive for the virus.

So far, there are no documented human cases in the United States.

In April 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed its first vaccine to prevent H5N1. It is meant to be taken by patients 18 through 64 years of age, and was purchased by the U.S. government for inclusion in the country’s national stockpile should H5N1 accelerate to pandemic status among humans.