Bird flu outbreaks in Texas wildlife have been spotted, but human health risk remains low.
On Jan. 9, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed that ducks found in the Austin area tested positive for bird flu, also known as Avian Influenza.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bird flu is a viral infection that spreads in wild birds, poultry and other animals. However, human cases are rare.
“Avian Influenza is not the same as influenza within humans, avian influenza is specifically within avian species, and the current species of influenza that is currently circulating is called H5N1 virus,” Matthew Gonzalez, department manager for the Hays County Health Department said.
There have been 67 confirmed reported human cases in the U.S. with one death associated with H5N1 avian flu infection. There has been one case reported in Texas and no reports on person-to-person spread cases.
Rodney Rohde, College of Health Professions professor and chair for Texas State’s Medical Laboratory Science Program said symptoms of avian flu include fever, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches and vomiting or diarrhea.
“One of the things that’s kind of popped up in this bird flu that we’ve been seeing in humans is conjunctivitis, so some eye infections,” Rohde said.
Rohde said bird flu in birds can also lead to outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows around the country.
Typically, right now, the [CDC] and most public health departments continually are talking about this being a kind of a low public health risk for humans,” Rohde said. “But as with any flu virus, we watch that constantly, because the virus can mutate and change.
Bird flu can be categorized into two groups: Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Rohde said avian flu is HPAI, meaning it is more likely to cause severe disease compared to LPAI viruses.
In June 2024, Austin Public Health reported the discovery of traces of H5N1 found in Austin-Travis County’s wastewater.
“It is important to note that current trends are low and the detection of influenza viruses in wastewater does not necessarily indicate undetected human cases,” APH wrote in the press release.
Gonzales said people most susceptible to contracting H5N1 are individuals who work in animal health or agriculture, including working with cattle and poultry.
“If [people] work with any type of animal, they should take concern of interacting with wildlife or with animals who’ve been exposed to wildlife,” Gonzales said. “They should wear more proper PPE [Personal Protective Equipment], whether that’s mask, gowning, goggles, whatever is most recommended in their line of work for their professional space,” Gonzales said.
The CDC advises people to properly cook poultry products and refrain from consuming raw milk. People should also avoid direct contact with wild birds and other animals to prevent infection.
Gonzales said while Hays County residents don’t need to worry about direct human-to-human transmission of bird flu, its impact on the ecosystem remains a significant concern.
“As the effects are currently harming it, we can see how it impacts our health and our life in different ways such as the increased cost of dairy and poultry products,” Gonzales said.
For more information, residents can contact the Hays County Health Department at 512-393-5520 or visit its website.
