Statement on HPAI
On December 18, 2024, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency in California regarding the increase in cases of Avian Influenza A (H5N1), a strain of Bird Flu referred to as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). For many people, there is no cause for heightened concern. If you have no birds at home, then the chances of the Bird Flu impacting your life are relatively low. However, for us at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, the impact is much greater and much deadlier.
Like the human flu, there are many strains of avian influenza. The reason for our concern is that HPAI is incredibly contagious. Birds who have contracted this disease have no recourse. There is no treatment for HPAI, and birds who come to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center with HPAI need to be humanely euthanized before the disease is allowed to infect our other patients. These patients cannot be released due to the devastating risk that they pose to entire populations of wild birds.
In response, we have tightened our biomedical security measures and increased the use of personal protective equipment. We have foot baths at every entry to our buildings, and we cleanse every surface thoroughly after even suspected contact with an infected animal. All patients are subjected to a period of quarantine to see if symptoms develop before they are allowed around our other patients. Further, our staff wear gowns, masks, gloves, and eye protection to avoid spreading disease. However, with the sheer number of avian patients we receive, the probability of infection is very high in spite of our stringent protocols.
As a member of the general public, we urge you to thoroughly clean your shoes after recreating outside. Avian influenza is spread through saliva, mucous, and feces. You will probably not directly come into contact with a bird’s saliva or mucous, but bird feces are everywhere. There is little reason to panic about the rise in bird flu for most people, but we encourage you to take this one small step to help prevent a larger problem.
You can read more about this on CDC website
Clinical sign in wild birds
Call CDFW for dead birds
Like the human flu, there are many strains of avian influenza. The reason for our concern is that HPAI is incredibly contagious. Birds who have contracted this disease have no recourse. There is no treatment for HPAI, and birds who come to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center with HPAI need to be humanely euthanized before the disease is allowed to infect our other patients. These patients cannot be released due to the devastating risk that they pose to entire populations of wild birds.
In response, we have tightened our biomedical security measures and increased the use of personal protective equipment. We have foot baths at every entry to our buildings, and we cleanse every surface thoroughly after even suspected contact with an infected animal. All patients are subjected to a period of quarantine to see if symptoms develop before they are allowed around our other patients. Further, our staff wear gowns, masks, gloves, and eye protection to avoid spreading disease. However, with the sheer number of avian patients we receive, the probability of infection is very high in spite of our stringent protocols.
As a member of the general public, we urge you to thoroughly clean your shoes after recreating outside. Avian influenza is spread through saliva, mucous, and feces. You will probably not directly come into contact with a bird’s saliva or mucous, but bird feces are everywhere. There is little reason to panic about the rise in bird flu for most people, but we encourage you to take this one small step to help prevent a larger problem.
You can read more about this on CDC website
Clinical sign in wild birds
Call CDFW for dead birds