Birds in a dozen Kentucky counties have tested positive for avian influenza since October, and Kentucky officials are trying to raise awareness so that those numbers don’t soar.
According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources website, 12 counties in the state have documented positive cases of bird flu through regional lab testing. All of the cases identified in the state so far have been in waterfowl and wading birds, although other domestic and wild bird species – and mammals – can contract the illness.
Birds in Ballard, Barren, Bullitt, Franklin, Fulton, Henderson, Hopkins, Jefferson, Kenton, Rowan and Wayne counties have tested positive so far. Among the species that tested positive were the Canada goose, the snow goose, the green-winged teal, the mallard, the sandhill crane and the American gadwall.
KDFWR State Wildlife Veterinarian Christine Casey said all of the positive tests so far have been for the more lethal variety of the virus: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). She said the strain can lead to death in animals and endanger local bird populations.
“So when we get big flocks of birds coming in and migrating, they carry the virus. We can see large die-offs in waterfowls,” Casey said.
Casey said the birds who contract avian influenza show neurological symptoms, including swimming in circles, a lack of coordination, drooping wings, unwillingness to fly and seizures.
In Western Kentucky, KDFWR Migratory Bird Coordinator John Brunjes said that the positive cases are mainly in snow geese, a variety of bird whose migration path takes them through the Commonwealth during the winter season. There is no treatment for avian influenza, though some birds – like mallards – are less susceptible to the illness.
“In December, almost 80% of mallards had it, and as far as we know, none died,” Brunjes said. “But in snow geese, less than 10% or 15% have it, and many of those die because they just haven’t got that natural immunity built into their system.”
Avian influenza is usually a migratory or seasonal illness, and Casey explained that outbreaks can often be linked to waterfowl traveling in a specific flyway, or migratory bird route. Waterfowl, like snow geese, travel through flyways across the United States, including the Pacific Flyway, Central Flyway, Mississippi Flyway and Atlantic Flyway. Kentucky is a part of the Mississippi Flyway.
Casey said an outbreak of avian flu in the Mississippi Flyway has been impacting wildlife in the region since 2022. She believes the problem is unlikely to resolve itself naturally. Brunjes agrees the sickness is here to stay.
“It’s a disease that we’re going to have [to] live with now and so, over time, we just have to kind of figure out how to make sure it’s as low a risk as possible,” Brunjes said.
Although the illness has not spread to domestic and farm animals in Kentucky, some states have seen positive cases of avian influenza in dairy cows and humans. When it comes to poultry, several of Kentucky’s neighboring states – including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee – have seen positive cases of avian flu.
Infected birds spread the viral infection through feces, saliva and mucus. Domestic animals can be exposed to the virus from contaminated clothing, boots, equipment and wild birds.
Brunjes said KDFWR sent information out to farmers and facilities that have domestic animals to educate them about the risk of HPAI to livestock and wildlife.
“We urge folks to use caution, kind of like from the COVID days,” Brunjes said. “You don’t just walk into a muddy field into a chicken or turkey house. They clean. They make sure that you’re not bringing the disease in and out.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people avoid direct contact with sick birds. The agency also advises that individuals working with livestock, gamefowl or wild birds wear personal protective equipment and not touch surfaces contaminated with animal secretions.
This story is republished with permission from WKMS. Read the original.
Zoe Lewis is a first-year sophomore at Murray State University from Benton, Kentucky. She is majoring in journalism with a minor in media production. She enjoys reading, going to movie theaters, spending time with her family and friends, and eating good food. Zoe is an Alpha Omicron Pi sorority member in the Delta Omega chapter. She is very excited to start working at WKMS and work while learning more about NPR, reporting, journalism, and broadcasting.
