You’ve probably already heard that it’s flu season in the White Mountains. Every year we get to experience a slightly different version of the flu virus. That’s why we’re supposed to get a new shot every year tailored for that season’s virus version (hopefully).  

But what about this new “bird” flu in the news? Is it serious? Wasn’t there a bird flu that killed lots of people a few years back? 

Bird flu was first described in northern Italy in 1878 as “fowl plague” in poultry but the cause of the disease wasn’t identified as a virus until the early 1900s. By 1981 the name of the disease was officially changed to avian (bird) influenza within the extended family of many other flu viruses.

Avian influenza has been found in over 3,300 birds, including bald eagles, great horned owls, vultures, waterfowl and shorebirds, and domestic turkeys and chickens. Fortunately, songbirds such as robins, sparrows, blue jays, crows, or pigeons are not normally infected with the bird flu virus, so a well-maintained and regularly cleaned bird feeder with 10% bleach is not likely to spread the disease.

The type of flu we get from birds has not been common in North America, but in an outbreak of bird flu in China, it infected over 1,500 people with a 40% mortality rate during 2016-2017. This outbreak traveled from Alaska to North America, causing $3 billion in damage and killing 50 million domestic poultry such as chickens and turkeys in the US, but thankfully did not kill any people. Disease control measures appeared to have been successful as the malady disappeared for 5 years.

Unfortunately, the new strain seen today apparently can infect more wild birds than previous versions and popped up, in the eastern US in 2021, of all places. By the spring of 2022, the influenza virus was found in the northern prairie states of the US in many different waterfowl species. This latest outbreak has already surpassed the previous one in economic terms of birds lost through mortality and control measures.

The new viral version also appears to be infecting more wild mammals, like scavengers and predators, but so far there is no evidence of mammals spreading it to each other, including human-to-human transmission. Only a few human cases of infection have been reported, even though many poultry workers have been exposed to large infected flocks. This is not just a North American outbreak currently, as the UK, Europe, and portions of Africa have all implemented bio-security measures to stem the impact on domestic poultry production.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that bird flu has been found in both domestic and wild birds in 46 states so far in 2022, including Arizona. Although only a few specimens submitted for testing in Arizona have come back positive for flu, it is probably widespread since so few birds have been submitted for necropsy. 

Symptoms of the sickness in birds include unexplained sudden deaths, lack of coordination, swimming in circles, tremors, twisted neck, lack of energy or appetite, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, and diarrhea. In domestic poultry flocks, symptoms also include a decrease in egg production, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, swelling of the head, eyelids, wattles, hocks, and combs, or purple discoloration of wattles, combs, and legs. The virus is spread in saliva, nasal secretions, and feces, but not through the air in small particles, fortunately.  

There has been no evidence of any person-to-person spread of this disease – only bird-to-person, and these numbers are still very low, in the single digits. If you suspect you’ve been exposed to an infected bird, contact the local county health department, your primary care physician, or an urgent care center. Symptoms of bird flu are very similar to run-of-the-mill flu but can become much more severe. The only way to confirm your infection is through lab tests from your doctor.

The normal seasonal flu vaccine will not protect you against the avian influenza sub-type, because it is intended to prevent the regular flu from killing you. However, there is no need for people to get an avian flu vaccine (even if one was available) since it does not spread to humans readily. 

Even though this may not be a human health issue at the moment, what is the impact on wild and domestic bird populations? The 2022 bird flu outbreak in the US poultry production industry already appears to be the largest in history, driving up prices of Thanksgiving turkeys to record levels. Some of the price increase is caused by the efforts to eradicate the disease as quickly and thoroughly as possible, so hopefully, prices will return to normal by next year.

Impacts on wild populations are currently being evaluated. Some large die-offs have been reported and the disease still appears to be spreading to new populations in the US so it’s anybody’s guess at this time how devastating the disease might become. Since the nature of most wildlife is not to congregate in large dense flocks for long periods of time in the same area, like in a domestic poultry production setting, the likelihood of large outbreaks is less than for domestic turkeys and chickens.

So what should you do if you find a sick duck on your next fishing trip or hike around the lake? Do not try to catch it and bring it to a wildlife rehabilitator, as those birds are all now being euthanized immediately due to the risk of infecting their other birds already being rehabbed. There is no practical treatment to rescue a bird with avian influenza and the risk of spreading it is just too high. The best thing you can do is to report it to the county health department or the Arizona Game and Fish Department at 602-942-3000 and choose Option 5. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department offers these safety guidelines for hunters:

• Only harvest waterfowl that look and act healthy 

• Field dress and prepare harvested birds outdoors or in a well-ventilated area 

• Wear latex or nitrile gloves while handling and cleaning game​​​​​​​ 

• Double-bag feathers and all bird remains and dispose of in the trash​​​​​​​ 

• Immediately cool harvested waterfowl and refrigerate or freeze as soon as possible 

• Do not eat, drink, smoke, or vape while handling carcasses 

• When finished handling harvested birds, wash hands and equipment thoroughly with soap and water 

• Cook all game meat to an internal temperature of 165°F 

To help prevent the spread of avian bird flu, Arizona Game and Fish also suggests:

• Report waterfowl deaths of 3 or more individuals to the AZGFD Wildlife Health Program at ajusticeallen@azgfd.gov or            602-942-3000 and choose Option 5. 

• Sick carnivores (bobcats, foxes, skunks, raccoons) should also be reported 

• Falconers should not feed waterfowl to their birds and should consider hunting only upland game birds and small          mammals for the near future 

Hunters with backyard poultry should take steps to protect their flocks:

— Clean equipment, shoes, and waders before returning home from hunting

— Don’t let your poultry have contact with migratory waterfowl

— Secure feed bins from rodents and wild birds

— Contact a veterinarian if any of your birds get sick or die 

Avian influenza may be here to stay this time around, posing yet one more challenge for wildlife managers and domestic poultry farmers. With the ability for this virus to mutate and become more or less significant, we’ll have to monitor and manage wildlife populations to better understand its impact.  

Fortunately, rules and regulations that are aimed at preventing the spread of another disease outbreak, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk, have been successful in Arizona. Currently, these big game that are harvested from other states can not be transported back into Arizona with parts of the animals that spread the disease. Other regulations banning captive herds of ungulates that host the disease may have also helped prevent the spread of CWD into Arizona.



Unfortunately, since waterfowl will freely migrate across state lines without regard to Game and Fish regulations, preventing the spread of avian influenza could be more of a challenge. With prompt reporting of any sick-looking waterfowl by outdoor enthusiasts, bird flu outbreaks can be better understood and hopefully controlled in Arizona and beyond.