New York City’s numerous wild birds have tested positive for avian influenza, a highly infected and severe virus.
According to Science Daily, a recent study published in the Journal of Virology revealed a small number of big city birds carry highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza.
For the study, the New York City Virus Hunters (NYCVH) program collected and screened 1927 samples from January 2022 to November 2023 and detected the H5N1 virus in 6 city birds of 4 different species. It was found that all the positive samples came from urban wildlife rehabilitation centres.
The co-author of the study, Christine Marizzi, noted, “To my knowledge, this is the first large-scale U.S. study of avian influenza in an urban area, and the first with active community involvement.”
He added, “Birds are key to finding out which influenza and other avian viruses are circulating in the New York City area, as well as important for understanding which ones can be dangerous to both other birds and humans. And we need more eyes on the ground -- that's why community involvement is really critical."
Marizzi emphasised, “It is important to mention that because we found H5N1 in city birds, this does not signal the start of a human influenza pandemic. We know that H5N1 has been around in New York City for about 2 years, and there have been no human cases reported.”
Marizzi suggested, “It's smart to stay alert and stay away from wildlife. This also includes preventing your pets from getting in close contact with wildlife.”
