What You Need to Know About Bird Flu
It's flu season, and not just for humans: multiple strains of avian influenza (aka bird flu) virus have emerged and are crisscrossing the globe right now.
So far, it's mostly birds (and poultry farmers) that have suffered. Hundreds of thousands of ducks, chickens, and turkeys from Norway to Egypt to Japan have been "culled" (slaughtered) in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading. Reports of human bird flu infection have been exceedingly rare, and epidemiologists say that most of the strains now circulating have yet to leap into human hosts at all.
Still, scientists are worried. And who can blame them? The greatest flu pandemic in human history—one that killed 50 million to 100 million people between 1918 and 1919—started out as bird flu.
Should you be worried, too? Here's a quick primer on the current state of bird flu outbreaks and what they mean for your health, safety, and holiday turkey.
What Is Bird Flu and Does It Differ From Seasonal Flu?
Avian influenza refers to a collection of flu viruses that occur naturally in wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese. These viruses are very contagious among birds and can infect domestic poultry (usually when wild ducks intermingle with farm birds) along with other animal species. There are many different subtypes of bird flu, and they mutate frequently and swap genes with one another. Epidemiologists monitor these viruses constantly to see which strains might pose a threat to commercial poultry operations or to humans.
Unlike seasonal flu, bird flu does not readily infect humans or spread easily from one person to another. In past outbreaks, when bird flu has made the leap to humans, the symptoms have been similar to seasonal flu. But bird flu has been far more lethal—in nearly half of all reported infections, the patient has died, frequently from pneumonia triggered by the virus, or from acute respiratory distress.
The flu vaccine doesn't protect against bird flu, but again, the risk of human infection is very rare to begin with. You should still get your flu shot, though. While seasonal flu is less deadly than bird flu (meaning that any given infection is less likely to result in a fatality), it infects so many more humans than its avian cousin that it actually kills many, many more people every year—between 3,000 and 50,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Where Is the Virus Spreading?
Various strains of bird flu have been reported in countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. All of them have been categorized as "highly pathogenic," meaning that if they were allowed to spread unchecked, they could potentially cause up to 90% mortality in affected bird flocks. And at least some of them have been known to infect humans in the past.
The strain spreading across Europe (known as an H5N8 strain) has caused the most worry so far. It first emerged in Siberia this past June and has since followed bird migration patterns (south and west) across Asia and into Europe. While it has yet to infect any humans, it has proved to be highly transmissible, killing wild and domestic birds and readily absorbing genes from other flu strains.
What About the U.S.?
In 2015 and 2016, bird flu outbreaks were reported in several U.S. states, including California, Utah, Maryland, Washington State and Indiana.
In response to those outbreaks, affected bird flocks were culled (i.e., tens of millions of birds were euthanized in an effort to stop the virus from spreading). And as a result, the virus strains in question were eradicated from the U.S.
It’s possible that the strain now spreading across Europe will reach U.S. shores as the flu season progresses, but it's not possible to say how likely or unlikely that is to happen. The USDA conducts routine monitoring and surveillance of bird populations to detect emerging infectious disease threats like avian influenza.
Are Current Outbreaks Infecting Humans?
In short, yes. There have been several human bird flu infections reported this year, mostly in Egypt and China. But the Centers for Disease Control says that overall, human cases are still rare and sporadic.
Avian influenza is passed from bird to bird via direct contact and through contaminated surfaces (infected animals shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces).
For any given strain of bird flu to pass from birds to humans or from humans to humans, the virus itself has to mutate or swap genes with a human flu virus. Such mutations have clearly occurred. There are several avian influenza viruses capable of infecting humans. According to The World Health Organization, they have caused about 1,700 human infections and several hundred human deaths in the past two decades.
But it’s difficult to predict the likelihood of any particular strain mutating in that way or to say how deadly a newly human-competent virus would be.
So far, almost all human bird flu cases have resulted from close contact between humans and infected birds. People who butcher or pluck birds or spend time in areas contaminated with their blood and feces are the most likely to become infected.
In very rare cases, the virus can also pass from humans to other humans, though so far, this is even less common than bird-to-human transmission. According to the CDC, it is thought to have happened only in a handful of cases, almost all of which resulted from very close contact between an infected person and a caregiver.
Should You Worry About Poultry Purchases?
No. So far, there haven't been any reported cases of bird flu transmission through food. And if you live in the U.S., your poultry is especially safe. The current outbreaks haven't spread here, and the country doesn't generally import poultry from affected regions. The USDA says that when outbreaks do occur, infected bird populations are quickly culled (a process also referred to as “stamping out” or “depopulating”), and nearby flocks are then subject to additional surveillance.
Having said all that, you should always make sure that your poultry is well-cooked. It should be heated until the interior is no longer pink, and eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.
What About Overseas Travel?
When it comes to bird flu, traveling overseas is safe. But it’s always a good idea to take certain health precautions when you travel. Check with the CDC's travelers’ health website for the latest updates on disease risks and for recommendations specific to your destination. If you’re visiting a region that has been affected by avian influenza, you should avoid contact with chickens, ducks, and geese, and with live food markets, poultry farms, and other places likely to be contaminated with poultry excrement.
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