On Tuesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was informed that wild birds in Brevard, Indian River and Volusia counties may have died as a result of the “bird flu.”
FWC was notified by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory of confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strain: H5 2.3.4.4, in South Florida counties. Cases were also detected in hunter-harvested blue-winged teal in Palm Beach County in Jan. 2022.
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To prevent the spread, the public should avoid handling sick or dead wildlife, prohibit the contact of domestic birds with wild birds, and report wild bird mortalities to FWC so deaths can be investigated. Please be advised that because HPAI is not treatable and is easily transmitted in wild birds, some wildlife rehabbers may not be accepting these animals at this time.
FWC says there is a low risk of HPAI transmission to humans and, to date, there have been no known human infections in North America.
For more information, click on this link.