Experts are concerned about new cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as Bird Flu (HPAI), in Washington and throughout the U.S. Washington saw its first confirmed case of HPAI when a snow goose tested positive in Walla Walla County in March 2022. Since then, there have been 400 confirmed cases of HPAI virus in Washington wildlife.
Bird Flu claimed its human life in the U.S. on Jan. 6, 2025. The U.S. has seen 66 confirmed cases of Bird Flu in humans. Most of these cases were mild, with individuals experiencing standard flu-like symptoms. In the majority of these cases, individuals contracted Bird Flu from being exposed while working on poultry or dairy farms. These individuals had close contact with infected animals or surfaces contaminated by infected animals. Poultry production facilities often house poultry in spaces that are not airtight, increasing the risk of virus transmission between birds and from birds to humans. The current form of HPAI cannot spread from human to human, but the virus could spread rapidly if it mutated.
HPAI does not only affect domesticated animals. Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor at the University of California, Davis who focuses mainly on poultry epidemiology, food security and general food safety, says that wild migratory fowl are the main reservoir of the Bird Flu virus.
“The virus is so ubiquitous that you should probably treat all wild waterfowl as positive, just to be cautious… From a human public health perspective, my recommendation would just be to keep a safe distance from those birds,” Pitesky said.
Wild ducks often visit Whitman’s Lakum Duckum. Laura A. Norris, the Director of the Welty Health Center, says that Whitman’s facilities and grounds crew are aware of the risk of Bird Flu. Norris reports that the College follows the infectious disease guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and the Washington State Department of Health. Norris says that the College will notify the Walla Walla Department of Community Health if there are any unusual animal deaths on campus. Norris also claimed that because the ducks on campus are not domesticated, the risk of HPAI is low.
“The duck population that visits Lakum Dukum is a wild bird population. Wild ducks often do not show evidence of disease, and the college does not manage wild populations of birds or animals,” Norris said in an email to The Wire.
While studies have shown that some species of wild duck such as Mallards, a prevalent species of duck on Whitman’s campus, do not exhibit symptoms of bird flu, they can secrete significantly more virus than other duck species who do become ill. A 2008 study published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s peer-reviewed Emerging Infectious Diseases journal found that Mallard ducks were “the only species [in the study] to show abundant virus excretion without clinical or pathologic evidence of debilitating disease.”
The recent presence of Canadian Geese, known transmitters of H5N1, may create further cause for concern. Canadian Geese in Mount Pleasant, New York that were recently found dead, for example, have tested positive for bird flu.
Still, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Jim Russo, says the risk to campus health and safety remains low.
“Among wild birds in WA state, most H5N1 cases detected since November 2024 have been detected in sparrows/starlings,” said Russo.
For Russo, the current transmissibility of H5N1 helps assuage concerns about human infections.
“H5N1 remains low on the transmissibility level of viruses (need high concentration of viral particles — vs. something like measles virus). If H5N1 changes, then this would become a much more significant issue,” said Russo.
Communications Manager for the Eastern Washington region of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Staci Lehman, says that the Department is not panicked about Bird Flu at this moment because the virus has been on the Department’s radar since 2022. She asks individuals to report sick or dead birds to the Department. While the Department does not have the resources to test every bird, district biologists test birds with visible HPAI symptoms or those in areas that have not had confirmed HPAI cases before.
“There isn’t much that can be done to prevent future cases of HPAI… There isn’t a vaccination available currently, and with wild species it is difficult to keep them separated to avoid spreading the virus. The best we can do is educate people on not feeding wildlife, putting away things on their property that could attract wild waterfowl if possible, and cleaning boots, equipment and other items when leaving one area with wild waterfowl and moving to another similar area,” Lehman said in an email to The Wire.
While there are currently no commercially available vaccines in the U.S. that protects humans or poultry against current strains of HPAI, vaccines for humans and poultry have been developed in the past but are not yet widely available in the U.S. In January, the U.S. began the process of rebuilding the national bird flu vaccine supply.
Russo notes that, in WA, “only 11 humans have been confirmed with H5N1 infection — all with exposure to infected chicken flocks.”
Many American organizations are monitoring influenza strains for changes in human and animal health, including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The new Trump Administration, however, has created new challenges for Bird Flu surveillance. During Trump’s first week in office, his administration cancelled scientific meetings and ordered federal health workers to pause public communications. These orders halted valuable surveillance of and communication on HPAI. Trump has also begun the process of withdrawing from the WHO, presenting yet another roadblock to reliable HPAI research.
However, there are some existing guidelines for individuals to protect themselves. To prevent contracting Bird Flu, experts advise individuals to consume only pasteurized dairy products, refrigerate and safely cook eggs, meat and poultry, wash hands often, get the seasonal influenza vaccine, vaccinate all pets, and avoid contact with birds or livestock who are wild, sick or dead.
