Avian Influenza
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is participating with other federal and state agencies in an ongoing nationwide surveillance program to test wild birds for avian influenza.
Avian influenza is a disease caused by a virus that infects domestic poultry and wild birds, primarily geese, ducks and shorebirds. Each year, there is a bird flu season just as there is for humans and, as with people, some forms of the flu are worse than others.
Avian influenza viruses are divided into two groups based on the pathogenicity of the virus, which is the ability of the virus to produce disease in poultry.
Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza: Most avian influenza strains are classified as low pathogenic and cause few clinical signs in infected birds. They generally don’t pose a significant health threat to humans. But they are monitored because two strains of low pathogenic avian influenza, the H5 and H7 strains, can mutate into highly pathogenic forms in poultry.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: This type of avian influenza is frequently fatal to birds and is easily transmissible between susceptible avian species. The avian influenza strain that is currently of concern in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa is the highly pathogenic H5N1.
Most avian influenza viruses have been isolated from wild waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), shorebirds (wading birds), gulls, and terns. Low pathogenic avian influenza already occurs in North American waterfowl and shorebirds, but it rarely causes signs of illness in the birds in which it is found.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 is not present in North America, though it is possible that it may spread here. The state and federal government agricultural, wildlife and public health agencies are working together to prepare for and minimize the potential impact of the occurrence of this disease in the United States.
There are a number of ways that highly pathogenic H5N1 could potentially reach the United States including wild bird migration, illegal smuggling of birds or poultry, travel by infected people, or people traveling with virus-contaminated articles from regions where highly pathogenic H5N1 already exists.
Monitoring Bird Health in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Pacific Flyway Council, the U.S. Geological Survey, and state fish and wildlife agencies are part of a major interagency effort to monitor wild migratory birds in the United States and to test statistically significant samples of populations of various migratory bird species for the early detection of highly pathogenic H5N1.
Alaska has been a top priority for monitoring wild birds because it is a flyway crossroads for migratory birds. Field work to capture and sample live birds started in Alaska in April 2006. Additional samples for highly pathogenic H5N1 will be collected from hunter-killed birds, sentinel flocks – healthy domestic birds placed in an area where wild birds congregate and are sampled for the virus – and the environment used by these bird populations.
Guidance for Handling Wildlife
Waterfowl hunting is one of the great outdoor experiences of living in Idaho. Hunters are encouraged to use a few simple common sense precautions to fully enjoy this hunting season:
- Do not handle birds that are obviously sick or birds that are found dead.
- Wear rubber or disposable latex gloves while handling and cleaning game.
- Wash hands with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand products if the hands are not visibly soiled, and thoroughly clean knives, equipment and surfaces that come in contact with game.
- Do not eat, drink, or smoke while handling or cleaning birds.
- Cook all game meat thoroughly – 160 to 165 degrees – to kill disease organisms and parasites.
Report Dead Birds
Wildlife biologists with Idaho Fish and Game are asking hunters to report sick and dead birds. Use the following guidelines to decide when it is necessary to contract Idaho Fish and Game about a dead bird.
To report sick or dead ducks, geese, swans or other water birds, call the Idaho Dead Bird Reporting Line, toll-free at 1-877-550-BIRD (2473).
Please call the Dead Bird Reporting Line when:
- You find several ducks, geese or other waterbirds that are sick or dead. We are especially interested in investigating dead waterbirds that appear to have died in the past 48 hours.
- If you find any dead swans.
Do not call the
Dead Bird Reporting Line
if:
- The bird is probably just injured with a broken wing or similar injury. Please call your local wildlife rehabilitator for care.
- The dead birds are not waterbirds, or if it is a bird that has died from window or vehicle collision. Collect these birds using a glove or inverted plastic bag and bury them or deposit them in your trash.
Additional Information
For more information on avian influenza, including information on public health and food safety, visit the following Web sites: