New Jersey remains vigilant about bird flu amid growing number of cases

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New Jersey officials are ramping up avian influenza inspections and asking for the public’s help after multiple cases of the virus were discovered in different parts of the Garden State.

New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Wengryn said the Division of Animal Health confirmed cases of highly pathogenic bird flu in three live bird markets at the beginning of March. Two of those markets were in Hudson County and one in Mercer County, and the virus was also found in a backyard poultry flock in Salem County.

He said this is a clear indication that the virus is still spreading across the region, and all 47 live poultry markets in Jersey need to be monitored consistently.

“Our state veterinarian services [personnel] are doing those inspections, we also count on the market managers saying hey I got a shipment in and they’re showing these clinical signs,” he said.

The markets that were shut down were disinfected, and reopened three days later.

Signs of bird flu

According to the Agriculture Department, signs of avian influenza in poultry can include sudden death, a decrease in eating or drinking, respiratory signs such as coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, swelling around the eyes, open-mouth breathing, darkening of the comb or wattles, reddening of the shanks or feet, decreased egg production and lethargy.

The risk to people is very low

New Jersey state epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan said that, to date, there has not been a single case of avian influenza within the state’s human population.

“Nationwide there have been 70 confirmed human cases of avian flu in 13 states, and unfortunately there has been one death associated with these human cases,” she said.

The human cases so far were from exposure to infected dairy cattle or to poultry farms.

“Unless you’re working with poultry, the general public at large has a very low risk of being exposed or having an issue with the virus,” Wengryn said.

Bird flu symptoms in people can include fever, cough, sore throat, trouble breathing, eye redness or irritation, headaches, muscle or body aches, and diarrhea.

A warning about cats

Tan said cats can easily become very sick and die from exposure to avian influenza, so pet owners should take precautions.

“Keep your cats indoors to try to minimize exposure to birds or other wildlife, you don’t want to feed your cats raw or unpasteurized milk or dairy products and avoid feeding any raw or undercooked meat,” she said.

Six cats with bird flu were identified in Hunterdon County, and while their exact exposure source is unknown, she said it’s believed they became sick from infected wild birds.

Eating chicken is safe

Wengryn said people don’t have to worry about consuming chicken or turkey exposed to avian influenza because cooking kills the virus.

“Even low temperature does it, and they found out with dairy products and milk, if they low-heat pasteurized it for 10 minutes, it took care of the virus,” he said.

Be careful while communing with nature

Officials are asking people to not touch dead birds in the wild, and to report them to the Fish and Wildlife, or the DEP. The Department of Environmental Protection hotline number is 877-WARN-DEP.

If avian influenza is suspected in livestock, contact the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health at 609-671-6400.

Tan said there have been relatively few cases of avian flu in songbirds and other species that are seen at backyard bird feeders.

“But this could potentially change with increased testing or changes to the virus” she said.

Wengryn said there is no official recommendation to remove bird feeders from backyards, but any time there is a mixing of different species, it opens the door to a possible problem.

“Waterfowl are the most frequent carriers and most susceptible to the virus, but it can start to impact other bird populations,” he said.