HPAI Updates

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Updates

Background

Avian influenza viruses naturally circulate in waterbirds including waterfowl and shorebirds, with or without clinical signs. Avian predators or scavengers, including eagles, other raptors, crows, ravens, gulls, or vultures, may be exposed when feeding on infected waterbirds, especially during mortality events (e.g., avian cholera, avian botulism). In poultry, HPAI H5N1 is highly contagious and causes significant mortality (58.27M birds affected as of 2/7/23). Birds raised in captivity, such as other gallinaceous birds (turkeys, pheasants, grouse, quail) and waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans), may also be at high risk of acquiring and transmitting the virus.

Avian influenza viruses are shed in bodily fluids such as saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. They can be transmitted directly from an infected bird or indirectly through people or objects contaminated with virus particles (e.g., animal crates, bedding, perches, feathers, food, water, clothing, footwear, vehicles).

From the Bay Nature article linked below: "Once they’re showing symptoms, susceptible birds go down quickly. For birds of prey and poultry, Gs/GD HPAI has a 90 to 100 percent fatality rate, and there is no treatment. Infected birds can shed the virus through bodily fluids or excretions, mainly feces, which endup in the water that other birds swim in and drink, infecting them and even some mammals. Meanwhile, raptors and other scavenging species can get sick from eating diseased carcasses. Waterfowl, seabirds, and raptors are susceptible, while songbirds seem mostly unaffected—possibly because they aren’t being exposed or their infections are harder to detect."

According to data collected since 2005 by the World Animal Health Information System, high pathogenicity avian influenza appears to be seasonal, spread being lowest in September, beginning to rise in October, and peaking in February.

Current California Department of Fish & Wildlife HPAI Prevention Guidance

• Report dead wild birds to CDFW using the mortality reporting form. While it is not possible to test every wild bird for HPAI, all mortality reports are important and help disease specialists monitor the outbreak.

  • • Mortality Reporting Form: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Monitoring/Mortality-Report

• Report sick and dead poultry to the CDFA hotline at (866) 922-2473.

• Prevent contact between domestic birds and wild birds, especially waterfowl.

• Exclude wild birds from accessing chicken or other domestic bird feed and water.

• Do not bring potentially sick wild birds home or move sick birds to another location.

• Before transporting potentially sick wild birds to wildlife rehabilitation centers, veterinary clinics or other animal facilities, contact the facility for guidance and to determine if the bird should be collected.

• If recreating outdoors in areas with large concentrations of waterfowl and other waterbirds, wash clothing and disinfect footwear and equipment before traveling to other areas or interacting with domestic birds.

• Where it can be done so safely, consider disposing of dead birds to help reduce exposure to new birds and minimize scavenging by birds and mammals that also may be susceptible to infection.

Risk Levels

LEVEL 1 - Outbreak in North America, Pacific Flyway not affected

LEVEL 2 - Outbreak in Pacific Flyway Area

LEVEL 3 - High risk to immediate area - confirmed cases are within 100 miles of Lindsay Wildlife

LEVEL 4 - Suspected or confirmed outbreak in facility

CURRENT RISK LEVEL: LEVEL 3

***HPAI was first verified in California on July 14, 2022.***

Information Sections in the Page Below:

• HPAI in Birds in California

• HPAI in Birds in the United States

• HPAI in Mammals in the United States

• Current Lindsay HPAI Procedures

• Information Resources 

Current Lindsay HPAI Procedures

We will make announcements and update this page as the situation changes!!!

All Departments

If you are a Lindsay volunteer and have backyard poultry, you should consider protective actions for your flock. Please review the links in the "Information Resources" section below for information from the California Department of Food and Agriculture as well as the link to the USDA.

Hospital (updated 8/11/23)

The current hospital HPAI Level 3 guidelines document can be found here:

• HPAI Level 3 Hospital Volunteer Guidelines (Old, under revision - see HPAI Updates below)

Current hospital homecare procedures can be found here:

• HPAI Homecare Volunteer Procedures (2/4/23) (Old, under revision - see HPAI Updates below)

Intakes

At this point we are no longer allowing waterfowl into the hospital to protect the live collection animals (animal ambassadors). Modifications were made to the "bunker" area in the hospital parking lot to allow for outdoor evaluation/triage. All waterfowl and shorebirds are being redirected by Hotline, the front desk, and the hospital to go directly to International Bird Rescue near Fairfield. Affected species will also be restricted from entrance to the hospital, and will be evaluated in the bunker. We are in constant communication with the regional wildlife rehabilitation centers and we are all letting each other know what abilities and resources are available based on which centers have animal collections to protect.

Personal Biosecurity Measures

HPAI Updates

After discussion with CDFW and other local rehabilitation facilities and veterinarians, and due to the overall reduced incidence of HPAI in our region and in the state, we will reduce some precautions for HPAI in the hospital. These changes are with the caveat of continued vigilance and monitoring of the ongoing situation and will also depend on continued triage of suspect animals. There will be weekly reviews of HPAI cases and if there is an increase in cases, such as with fall migration, it may become necessary to step back into our previous protocols. Below is a summary of changes effective immediately.

• New aviaries (Songbird and North) can be considered quarantine as needed.

• All current “bunker” PPE protocols remain in place.

• Shoes/Shoe Covers: Effective immediately shoe changes between “street” and “hospital” shoes, and/or use of shoe covers, are no longer mandatory except in designated quarantine areas such as the bunker.

  • • Separate shoes for working in the hospital are still strongly recommended as a general precaution for protection of hospital patients, AE ambassadors, and your home companion animals or flocks.

      • • “Hospital shoes”, when used, should be stored at home, in your car, or under your desk as we will be removing the two "hospital shoe" storage racks. (We really need to have free access to the rolling cage under the port-a-pet shelves.)

          • • Please remove your hospital shoes from the storage rack as soon as possible. (We will eventually need to have an “orphan shoe” sale, or at least return them to the wild.)

        • For those that continue to use separate shoes, the "street shoe" rack next to the chairs will remain for use when you are on-shift. Please do not leave shoes beyond your shift time (i.e., the "street shoe" rack should be empty every night).

    • Shoe cover stations were replaced with spray stations (shoe covers can still be used if you don’t want to spray your shoes). Rescue should be sprayed on shoe soles when:

      • • Coming into the hospital from outside

        • Moving between hospital and exhibit hall, or between hospital and AE (going either direction)

• Hospital personnel should not pass through the AE kitchen to reach the corp yard. Continue to use the hospital doors and corp yard gates (pedestrian and auto gates). This is a permanent change for the protection of the AE ambassadors in general.

Species Triage:

• Waterfowl will continue to be banned from the hospital.

• After initial bunker triage, all other previously banned or quarantined species may be brought into the hospital for continued care. (No more 5-day quarantine for some species.)

• Any signs of neurological conditions that occur will immediately result in the animal being removed from the hospital for re-evaluation in the bunker.

• Quarantine in homecare is no longer required, but continued observation and vigilance is needed. Stay alert for respiratory or neurological symptoms, notify hospital if symptoms are observed.

Note that we may see an increase in species receiving in-hospital care, including raptors, raccoons, opossums, and possibly predatory mammals. Since it's been a while since these species were in the clinic, we will schedule training for new volunteers as needed.

Backyard Poultry and Companion Birds

• It is highly recommended that volunteers with backyard poultry change clothes and shoes prior to entering the hospital.

• Volunteers with backyard poultry or companion birds should practice biosecurity measures at home to protect their household avians.

Animal Encounters (updated 8/20/23)

Please refer to the "Animal Encounters HPAI Protocols" document for current AE departmental HPAI procedures:

Animal Encounters HPAI Protocols

Education

Information Resources

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife information sheet

  • • California Department of Fish and Wildlife HPAI Information Sheet 

• California Department of Food and Agriculture - Avian Influenza Updates

  • • https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/Avian_Influenza.html

• USDA - 2022-2023 Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks

  • • https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks

• USDA - 2022-2023 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

  • • https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds

• USDA - 2022-2023 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Mammals

  • • https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-mammals

• HPAI Education Resources from the Gabbert Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota

  • "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Raptors", a presentation including case studies and precautions taken at a facility within an HPAI outbreak area

• https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/1_u75e1dfz

• The Raptor Center HPAI Information and Resource Page

  • • https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/our-research/HPAI

• HPAI Education/Information Page with FAQs

  • • https://umnadvet.instructure.com/courses/524

• The Latest Bird Flu Pandemic Is Terrible—And Strange, Bay Nature (Winter 2023)

  • • https://baynature.org/article/the-latest-bird-flu-pandemic-is-terrible-and-strange/

• The Next Pandemic, The New York Times (April 23, 2023)

  • • https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=294&emc=edit_np_20230423&instance_id=90808&nl=the-next-pandemic&productCode=NP&regi_id=111886829&segment_id=131158&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F1815fea7-30a0-5f7e-8f3e-a1af1e5e83f2&user_id=597ae5c9b8962db6b6247d5bf93bb435

• First American Cat To Test Positive For Bird Flu Found In Thermopolis, Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily (April 7, 2023)

  • • https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/04/07/first-american-cat-to-test-positive-for-bird-flu-found-in-thermopolis-wyoming/