Photo: Mallard, Northern Pintail, American Widgeon, Steve Lefkovits
Several dead ducks have been found in and around Virginia to have avian influenza (AI). These birds include a Green-winged Teal in Virginia Beach, a Lesser Scaup in Kent County Maryland, and 17 ducks of several species in North Carolina.
The recent detections of a Eurasian strain of AI in these wild birds serve as an early warning system for people in the U.S. to look for groups of dead or sick waterfowl and to protect poultry and pet birds from AI.
If you encounter sick or dead birds in Virginia, please submit an event report here. If you must remove dead birds, wear gloves and a mask, and place birds in a sealable plastic bag to dispose with household trash. (Note: This AI has not been shown to be harmful to humans.)
If you want to track recent reports, you can visit here.
The version of avian influenza we are experiencing is often called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or H5N1, referring to just one of many types of AI. H5 is a highly transmissible form among birds.
AI has the potential to infect humans, but there are few cases among humans so far, and none were serious that we know of. People in close proximity to poultry (mostly chickens and ducks) are most at risk, but we discourage handling of any dead birds without the use of gloves and a mask.