Why it matters: High-risk conductors.
The The virus was first discovered in a California vulture found dead in late March. Since then, 20 more guides have died and four more are currently in rehabilitation facilities, according to the federal agency. The virus was confirmed in 15 of those birds.
Dr Carlos Sanchez, chief veterinarian at the Oregon Zoo, which has a vulture breeding program, said: The vultures appear to be “very susceptible” to the virus. “Once they get sick,” he says, “they have a high tendency to die.”
California’s vulture populations declined rapidly during the 20th century; in the 1980s, there were fewer than 30 left. In the decades since, captive breeding programs have helped the population recover. “We’re talking about potentially catastrophic failure of the conservation project if the virus gets into more condor populations, it could reverse the process,” Dr. Sanchez said.
Background: A new version of an old threat.
The H5N1 virus was first detected in China in 1996. Since then, various versions of the virus have circulated in wild birds and caused repeated outbreaks. in poultry. A new version of the virus arrived in North America in late 2021. Since then, it has spread rapidly throughout the United States, causing the largest outbreak of bird flu in the nation’s history and leading to what death of many people. nearly 60 million domestic poultry.
It has also caused more damage to wild birds than previous outbreaks. It was discovered in more than 6,700 species of wild birds — a number that is certainly underestimated — in every state except Hawaii and has resulted in the mass die-off of wild birds around the world.
It has also been many times spill over to mammals and causes a small number of human infections, usually in people known to have had close contact with birds. Officials say the virus is best adapted to birds and the threat to the general public remains low. But scientists have long been concerned that Viruses can evolve in ways that help it spread easily between people.
What’s next: Officials are considering a broader poultry vaccination campaign.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the small size of the current California vulture population will allow the vaccination program to be closely monitored. Federal officials have not authorized the use of the vaccine in other birds.
But the size and scope of the current outbreak has prompted officials to consider a mass poultry vaccination campaign. USDA scientists have been testing a variety of potential poultry vaccines and say there may be some results this spring.
The country could see more animal outbreaks in the coming weeks as infected wild birds migrate north for the summer.
