Bird flu has come to roost in concrete jungles.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating among New York City's feathered friends for years, according to a group of scientists. And that means pet owners need to be cautious.
Virus hunters in New York City discovered avian influenza in bird fecal samples collected from 2022 to 2023. The group published its findings Wednesday in the Journal of Virology.
Volunteers collected 1,927 samples of bird droppings scattered across the city's green spaces, as well as some samples from animal rehabilitation centres. The research group identified a total of six cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) infection in birds, including three Canada geese, a red-tailed hawk, a peregrine falcon and a chicken.
Although the numbers seem small, avian influenza spreads easily among animals. The virus has infected several dairy herds in the United States, as well as other animals such as foxes, raccoons, possums, bears, and bobcats.
That means the dogs that many New Yorkers walk on the streets every day could also be at risk.
“It's wise to remain vigilant and avoid approaching wildlife,” Christine Marizzi, a microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told ScienceAlert. “This includes preventing pets from coming into close contact with wild animals.”
Virus Hunter is part of a community-based program that engages high school students in the first-ever civic effort to map and track avian influenza and avian paramyxoviruses circulating throughout New York City. (Paramyxoviruses include viruses such as measles, mumps and RSV.) Late last year, the group received a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand its tracking efforts. .
Transmission from birds to humans is very low, but scientists worry that the risk may be slightly higher in densely populated areas like New York City. To date, only two cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) have been detected in humans, one in 2022 and one in April, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both of these cases are from individuals who had close contact with infected livestock. No known cases of human-to-human transmission have occurred.
While the cause for alarm remains low, experts say New York City has unique risks. New York City is a densely populated area and is on the flight path of many migratory birds.
“This puts them in contact with very dense populations of humans and pets, and a wide range of animals and humans in urban areas where the general public may have little awareness of prevalent infectious diseases.” “It provides an interface that spans the range,” Marizzi explained.
The findings suggest that bird flu has indeed been present in New York City for some time, with no confirmed cases of human infection.
Nevertheless, the World Health Organization says the current strain of avian influenza is of “great concern” and other experts agree that we are making the same mistakes we made in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm warning you that you're committing a crime. Experts say virus residue has been found in commercially available milk, but pasteurization kills the virus and poses no risk to consumers.
“Birds are key to understanding not only which influenza and other avian viruses are circulating in the New York City area, but also which viruses are dangerous to other birds and humans.” explained Marizzi.
