H5N2 confirmed in WA wild birds

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Bird flu confirmed in wild birds in Washington just weeks after Canadian outbreak

Officials confirmed two cases in Washington State on Tuesday
Comes just weeks after deadly virus was found in British Columbia
The public has been reassured there is no immediate risk to human life

By Flora Drury For Mailonline

Published: 02:14 GMT, 17 December 2014 | Updated: 13:28 GMT, 17 December 2014

Two different strains of bird flu have been discovered in Washington State, just weeks after an outbreak across the border in Canada.

The separate strains of the H5 virus were found in a northern pintail duck and a gyrfalcon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Tuesday.

The discovery comes weeks after the virus was discovered in British Columbia, resulting in the deaths of 155,000 birds and the quarantine of several farms.

A pintail duck was diagnosed with bird flu in Washington State

A gyrfalcon, fed wild birds, was also confirmed to have the deadly disease

Both American cases were found in Whatcom County, which is on the Canadian border.

However, officials were unwilling to say they had definitely spread from British Columbia.

'There are many strains of avian influenza, and it is not uncommon for wild waterfowl to carry the virus,' said Dr. Joe Baker, Washington's state veterinarian.

But officials have moved to reassure the public there was no immediate risk to residents.

The two viruses found in Washington State have been found in other parts of the world and have not caused any human infection to date, the USDA said.

Dr Kristen Mansfield, a veterinarian with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said: 'There's really no reason to panic. This does not represent an increased risk to people.

'There's very little to no risk of these viruses affecting people.'

Hector Castro, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, said that after the Canadian outbreak, the state stepped up random testing in domestic poultry flocks near the border and put out information to other bird owners.

The arrival of the disease in British Columbia has had a devastating affect on poultry farmers, with tens of thousands of turkeys having to be euthanized in the run-up to the industry's busiest time of year.

A number of farms in British Columbia have had to be quarantined since the outbreak

An outbreak of bird flu in Japan has led to the government ordering the slaughter 4,000 chickens

An outbreak of bird flu in Japan has led to the government ordering the slaughter 4,000 chickens

Farms in Japan have also been hit by bird flu outbreaks, and the government has now ordered the slaughter of 4,000 chickens after cases were discovered in the south-west of the country.


SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED?


Bird flu - also known as avian influenza - has killed humans in the past.

However, the infectious disease, caused by a variant of the standard influenza A virus, has 15 different strands.

The strand which is deadly to humans, and can be caught from birds, is the H5N1 strain.

Since 2003, it has killed 379 people - or 59 per cent of those who have become infected.

But so far, there have been no reported cases of this strand in any of the outbreaks across the globe.
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Outbreaks have also been reported in Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany in the last two months.

So far, no cases have been confirmed in commercial poultry in the US.

But Dr Baker warned poultry owners it was critical to take steps to protect their birds from wild fowl.

It is thought the falcon, which was diagnosed with the H5N8 strain of the disease after its owner took it to a vet, had been fed wild birds killed by hunters.

The wild duck was diagnosed with the H5N2 strain of bird flu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was an outbreak of the H5N2 virus in a flock of chickens in Texas in 2004. That was the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 20 years, the CDC said.

The bird flu strain that has caused the most global concern is H5N1, which began ravaging poultry across Asia in 2003 and is more easily spread among humans

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