Bird flu is spreading to pets in Vermont

A backyard band in Vermont it was sick with H5N1, agriculture officials said Thursday, later other reports of avian flu-related animal deaths this month beyond commercial agriculture and wildlife.

The US Department of Agriculture and state regulators said they became aware of the incident on December 18, after a bird in the non-commercial flock died. The next day, they confirmed the presence of an H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and more deaths followed in the flock of two dozen “non-avian” birds. (Officials did not specify the type or types of birds.) The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and then killed the rest of the flock.

The news of the sick birds came as the Oregon Department of Agriculture said related to the death of a house cat to an H5N1 strain he detected in Northwest Naturals brand “raw and frozen pet foods.” And before December, a fire in a wildlife sanctuary in the state of Washington he killed 20 big cats. The incidents are part of a larger wave of H5N1 illnesses affecting poultry, cattle, cats and humans, along with wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard herd: “Laboratory tests have confirmed that this case of HPAI is not the strain that is currently impacting dairy cattle herds in other states of the country”.

The VAAFM added, “Although HPAI is considered a low risk to human health, individuals who have had contact with infected birds or their environment are monitored by the Vermont Department of Health.” Officials noted that this was the fourth reported case of backyard flocks in the state in less than three years, and encouraged pet owners to protect his birds and cattle from H5N1 with “proper biosecurity practices.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 65 human cases of H5 avian influenza in the United States as of December 24, almost all related to dairy herds and poultry in California, Washington state and Colorado. The agency also said it is aware of seven “probable cases” in California, Washington, Arizona and Delaware.

Human infections have been largely mild, but the CDC has confirmed first “severe” case. in the United States before December. Officials linked that case to backyard poultry, not human-to-human transmission.

On its monitoring site, the CDC wrote that “the current risk to public health (from bird flu) is low.” However, the agency advises people to avoid close contact with wild birds and any infected animals and to stick to pasteurized milk products.