Illinois officers say there was a rise in birds coming down with the avian flu in current months — together with a bald eagle that needed to be euthanized Saturday due to the illness.
The uptick in circumstances comes as a Louisiana man with underlying health conditions died from the disease on Monday — seemingly after publicity to a sick and dying flock of birds in his yard. Specialists stress the illness shouldn’t be of big concern to most people, however say those that come into contact with wild birds or different animals like cattle ought to take precautions.
“Whereas the avian influenza typically poses a low threat to the inhabitants, it’s important to take the required steps to keep away from publicity, and search remedy rapidly if you’re uncovered,” mentioned Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of Illinois Division of Public Well being, in an announcement.
Along with the person who died from extreme chicken flu, or H5N1, a minimum of 66 individuals within the U.S. had been contaminated in 2024, based on the Facilities for Illness Management — with virtually all the circumstances in individuals who labored with livestock or poultry. Most of these circumstances have been gentle, with sufferers experiencing pink eye or respiratory signs. Earlier than 2024, just one individual within the U.S. was recognized to have chicken flu, a poultry employee from Colorado who got here down with it in 2022.
None of these circumstances have been in Illinois, however there was a spike in birds and different animals coming down with the illness, officers say.
Eagle present in misery
On Friday, residents referred to as authorities after a bald eagle was present in misery in Hinsdale. Chicago Chicken Collision Screens, which tracks deaths of birds that fly into buildings and seeks to assist injured birds, introduced the eagle to the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Heart in Glen Ellyn. It was euthanized Saturday after it gave the impression to be contaminated with chicken flu, mentioned Annette Prince, govt director of the collision screens group.
Sarah Reich, head veterinarian on the conservation heart, mentioned the middle has seen about 100 circumstances of chicken flu since 2022 — with greater than half coming on this previous 12 months.
Reich mentioned there have been so many circumstances that her heart stopped taking in contaminated water fowl like geese and geese. Nevertheless, the middle does settle for contaminated raptor species like hawks and owls.
“The massive majority of those animals don’t make it. They’ve neurological issues like seizures and trembling, and in geese, their eyes flip a hazy blue shade,” Reich mentioned.
Earlier than the eagle died, the Illinois Division of Pure Assets mentioned there have been 132 complete reported deaths of birds from avian influenza in 22 completely different Illinois counties prior to now month. All had been Canadian geese, apart from one feral rock pigeon that died in Kane County, spokesperson Jayette Bolinski mentioned.
Hunters beware
Hunters have been suggested by the IDNR to totally cook dinner recreation meat, like geese and geese, to an inside temperature of 165 levels Fahrenheit.
If precautions are taken, consuming poultry is mostly protected, mentioned Dr. Janna Kerins, a medical director within the Chicago Division of Public Well being.
“There’s no proof that anybody within the U.S. has gotten sick with chicken flu by consuming poultry that has been dealt with and cooked correctly,” Kerins mentioned “If hunters see sick or useless birds they need to not deal with them and will at all times wash their fingers with cleaning soap and water. Additionally, if they will costume birds, they need to do it within the discipline and ideally will put on gloves and separate units of footwear. In addition they shouldn’t eat or drink something when dealing with recreation and they need to hold raw recreation separate from different meals.”
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration has additionally warned towards consuming uncooked milk, which could be offered legally in Illinois with the correct permits. No human circumstances have been confirmed as coming from uncooked milk, however cats in a number of states have died after consuming virus-laden milk, based on the CDC.
As for fears of a possible pandemic arising from chicken flu, Kerins mentioned it’s essential for the general public to not panic.
“We do know that flu is a illness that has the potential to trigger pandemics, however actually the people who find themselves getting sick proper now are individuals who have been instantly uncovered to sick animals and never most people,” Kerins mentioned. “And we now have not but seen it unfold from one individual to a different though that is one thing that we’re watching intently.”
