Bird flu spreads to domestic birds in Vermont

A backyard flock in Vermont was sick with H5N1, agricultural officials said Thursday, following other reports of bird flu-related animal deaths this month beyond commercial farms and wildlife.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state regulators said they learned of the incident on Dec. 18, after a bird in the non-commercial flock died. The next day, they confirmed the presence of an H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and more deaths occurred in the flock of two dozen “non-poultry” birds. (Officials did not specify the type or types of birds.) The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and then killed the rest of the flock.

News of the sick birds came as the Oregon Department of Agriculture said it linked the death of a domestic cat to an H5N1 strain it detected in Northwest Naturals brand “raw and frozen pet foods.” And in early December, an outbreak at a wildlife sanctuary in Washington state killed 20 big cats. The incidents are part of a larger wave of H5N1 disease affecting poultry, livestock, cats and humans, as well as wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard herd: “Laboratory testing confirmed that this HPAI case is not the strain currently affecting dairy cattle herds in other states across the country.”

The VAAFM added: “Although HPAI is considered low risk to human health, the Vermont Department of Health is monitoring people who had contact with infected birds or their environment.” Officials noted that this was the fourth case of such backyard flocks revealed in the state in less than three years, and urged animal owners to protect your birds and H5N1 cattle with “adequate biosecurity practices.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 65 human cases of H5 bird flu in the US through December 24, almost all linked to dairy herds and poultry farms in California, Washington state and Colorado. The agency has also said it is aware of seven “probable cases” in California, Washington, Arizona and Delaware.

Human infections have largely been mild, but the CDC confirmed the first “serious” case in the United States in early December. Officials linked that case to poultry, not human-to-human transmission.

On its tracking site, the CDC wrote that “the current public health risk (from bird flu) is low.” Still, the agency advises people to avoid close contact with wild birds and infected animals and to stick to pasteurized dairy products.