Highly contagious avian flu detected in Alton Baker Park geese, other birds

State officials have detected bird flu in some of Eugene's geese, and it's suspected a wider outbreak has occurred.

The discovery of high pathogenic avian influenza is not expected to be a human health risk, though it is possible for the virus to cross over to other species, including humans. City and state officials are warning people to avoid sick or dead birds, to wash their shoes after visiting local parks and to alert state wildlife agents if they find sick birds.

A regional quarantine of avian species and vehicle traffic involving birds is now in place.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported several Canada goose goslings collected from Alton Baker Park in Eugene have tested positive for HPAI and that other sick or dead birds recently have been found at the park.

Two birds from species that sometimes prey on waterfowl — a red-tailed hawk collected from Eugene and an osprey collected from Dorena Reservoir east of Cottage Grove — also tested positive for HPAI, according to ODFW.

The cases are the first known detections of the new avian flu strain in wild birds in Oregon, according to ODFW.

Earlier this month, the first Oregon HPAI case in a backyard poultry flock was confirmed in Linn County. Another case involving backyard birds in Lane County also has been confirmed, according to an ODFW news release.

Though birds are at risk of getting sick or dying from the virus, it's not expected to cause mass die-offs in Oregon.

"You might see multiple birds dead, but we're not expecting that this is going to have a significant impact on the overall waterfowl population in Oregon," said ODFW spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy. "It hasn't happened in other states or Canadian provinces where they've had it since late last year. Like people, birds have flus and it's endemic."

This virus has been documented in more than 100 different species of wild birds worldwide, according to an ODFW news release. The first detection in late 2021 and 2022 of the Eurasian strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, specifically referred to as H5N1, in North America occurred in December in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The virus is believed to have entered North America in an infected wild seabird or migrating waterfowl.

The outbreak has affected 68 species in 1,326 positive detections, according to an ODFW release. Of the 40 states with infected birds, 37 states have HPAI detected in wild birds, 27 states with the virus in backyard poultry flocks and 19 states have had infections in commercial poultry operations, where mass culling has often followed.

The USDA said last said nearly 23 million birds had died of the virus or had been killed since the outbreak began.

Eugene parks stay open, warnings posted

City of Eugene Community Engagement Manager Kelly Shadwick said Alton Baker and other parks won't be closed or restricted because of the outbreak, but city staff are putting up signs advising avoiding interacting with the birds.

Shadwick said city staff will alert ODFW to sick birds and will pick up any dead birds they find to send to the agency.

"We want people, if they're walking in areas where there are waterfowl, they just should wash their shoes when they get home, particularly if they have domestic chickens or ducks so they don't spread it," Shadwick said. "We're trying to be responsive to what staff and the public are seeing and making sure we're getting the animals to ODFW safely."

ODFW is asking people who see sick or dead birds to avoid collecting or handling them. Instead, they should report the incident to the department by calling 866-968-2600 or by emailing Wildlife.Health@odfw.oregon.gov.

Though the human health risk is low, walking through Eugene parks where waterfowl congregate (and defecate) can bring the virus back to residents' homes where they may keep domestic poultry that could then catch the avian flu.

There are already signs up around Eugene parks advising against feeding ducks and geese, which by itself can cause health risks to wild birds. The presence of bird flu is another reason not to, because birds gather together when fed.

"It's particularly bad for them right now because they will more easily spread avian flu," Dennehy said.

Quarantine near infected properties in Lane County

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has enacted a regional quarantine in line with disease control requirements.

"This regional quarantine will prevent the movement of poultry from within this area for a period of time sufficient to allow state and federal officials to conduct surveillance within the quarantine area to ensure the control of HPAI," reads a temporary administrative order. "Failure to immediately implement the rules could result in the spread of HPAI to other poultry, including commercial poultry .... The impacts to the poultry industry would be devastating."

The quarantine is in place for birds and vehicles that move birds within 6.2 miles of infected properties in Lane County, according to an ODA news release. A map of known outbreaks and the quarantine zone is available online.

The quarantine area boundaries in Lane County are:

• North: The Linn/Lane counties line.

• East: The boundary extending due south from the southeastern corner the of Linn/Lane County line to Marcola Road, and following Marcola Road southward to the intersection with Highway 126.

• South: Extending west from the intersection of Highway 126 and Marcola Road, following Highway 126 westward to the intersection with Pacific Highway.

• West: Following Pacific Highway northward from the intersection with Highway 126 to the division of Highway 99 West and Highway 99 East, and continuing northward along Highway 99E to the Linn/Lane County line.

• Temporary emergency rules are in effect largely forbidding transport of anything that could carry HPAI.

What are the human health risks?

The only reported case of human infection was a person involved in euthanizing presumptively infected poultry at a commercial farm in Colorado, according to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment news release.

"Repeat testing on the person was negative for influenza," according to the release. "Because the person was in close contact with infected poultry, the virus may have been present in the person’s nose without causing infection."

The person was largely asymptotic and only reported feeling fatigued for a few days and has recovered, according to a release from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC has tracked the health of more than 2,500 people with exposures to infected birds since late 2021 and this is the only case that has been found to date.

This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which the CDC considers to be low.

The CDC recommends avoiding contact with poultry that appear ill or are dead and to avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with feces from wild or domestic birds. It is still safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry.

More information for people regularly around poultry can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/groups.htm.

Statesman Journal reporter Tracy Loew contributed to this story.

Contact reporter Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@registerguard.com. Follow on Twitter @DuvernayOR.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Highly contagious avian flu detected in Alton Baker Park geese