Scientists: Duck is the 1st case of wild bird flu in the United States in 5 years | South Carolina News

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – A duck killed by a hunter in Caroline from the south had a contagious and dangerous bird flu that has not been detected in the wild in the United States for five years, officials said.

Influenza poses a low risk to humans, but can spread quickly in poultry houses and other poultry businesses.

Eurasian H5 avian influenza was first detected by scientists at Clemson University and confirmed by federal testing, the school said in a news release.

The US Department of Agriculture has alerted global health authorities. Scattered Eurasian H5 infections were detected in 2022 from Portugal to Bulgaria and in December two cases were reported in eastern Canada, officials said.

Anyone with poultry, including backyard farms, needs to review their practices to protect birds from disease, said state veterinarian Michael J. Neault, who directs the University’s Livestock Poultry Health program. Clemson.

These practices include washing hands thoroughly before and after handling wild and domestic birds and using gloves and other protective equipment when handling live birds.

Farmers must also keep their birds away from areas where geese and ducks roam, clean their cages and coops regularly, and buy new birds from trusted sources and keep them away from the rest of the flock for 30 days, the university said.

“So far, we have no indication that (the flu) has jumped from wild migratory birds to poultry and we would very much like to see that continue,” Neault said in a statement.

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