IRLNews:Avian Influenza in Brevard County

Indian River Lagoon News

Avian Influenza in Brevard County

Frank Rohrer, Author

May 12, 2022

Viera, Brevard County - To date there have been 23 bald eagle deaths in Florida due to Avian Flu. Eight eagle deaths have been recorded in Brevard County. On March 1st the Brevard County Extension Services Office published the following Avian Influenza press release:

As of February 28, 2022, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1) has arrived in Florida via wild waterfowl returning from nesting in the arctic where they comingled with birds from around the world. Confirmed cases in wild waterfowl have been reported in Volusia, Brevard, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Palm Beach Counties. The remainder of the state is under surveillance. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Health as of this writing, No cases of this bird flu have been found in domestic, backyard, or commercial birds in Florida.

Wild birds, particularly water birds, can carry many strains of low pathogenic avian influenza, most of which do not cause disease in domestic poultry. However, when a low pathogenic strain undergoes a mutation and forms a highly pathogenic strain, the mutated strain can cause significant disease in domestic poultry. The HPAI virus is not easily transmissible from birds to humans, but health officials are concerned it could mutate into another form that could spread readily from person to person, triggering a pandemic.

No cases of human infections with HPAI have been reported in the United States as of this writing. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers the current risk to the public to be low. As risk depends on exposure, it is best to not touch sick or dead wild birds. If such instances are necessary, persons handling such wild birds should use personal protective equipment (PPE) such as protective clothing, rubber boots, gloves, eye protection, and face shields. After handling the bird, these items can be disinfected with a 10% bleach water solution. Report wild bird mortalities to http://app.myfwc.com/FWRI/AvianMortality/.

To keep domestic, backyard, and commercial flocks free of this virus, it is recommended that all poultry (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc.) be housed inside a coop with a solid roof and that steps be taken to prevent wild birds from entering the coop. It is also recommended to limit visits to your coop to only those who regularly handle your poultry. Report sick or dead birds to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) or your veterinarian.

To help in the tracking of HPAI:

• Report sick or dead commercial or backyard birds to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS.gov) or your veterinarian

• Report wild bird mortalities to http://app.myfwc.com/FWRI/AvianMortality/.

For additional information contact Joe Walter, Brevard Agriculture Agent.

Brevard Zoo Bird Experience Closed Due to Avian Flu

The Brevard Zoo has temporarily closed it's bird experiences due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1). The following avian influenza notice has been published on the Brevard Zoo website:

To protect our bird family, our bird experiences are closed for the time being after we received news that several cases of avian influenza (HPAI) were found in Brevard County. We do not currently have any cases of avian influenza at the Zoo.

Avian influenza – commonly called “bird flu” – is a viral infection that occurs naturally in birds. Wild birds can carry the virus but may not always get sick from it. Some domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks and turkeys, can become infected, often fatally.

“Given the seriousness of this disease and the close proximity to the animals in our care, we have implemented our avian influenza plan,” said Keith Winsten, our Zoo’s executive director.

In an effort to keep our birds safe, the Zoo’s free-flight walk-through aviaries will be closed to the public until further notice. Zoo birds susceptible to HPAI such as our macaws, black swans, Osceola turkeys and whistling ducks, will be moved to indoor habitats.

Other species, like our nesting wrinkled hornbills, will receive habitat modifications to keep them from having contact with wild birds.  

Our animal care team will of course continue providing excellent care for all our feathered friends, but our staff will use extra personal protective equipment while doing so.

Although it is possible for people to become infected with avian influenza, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the virus does not spread easily from animals to humans.

Please check back for new updates on when our bird experiences will reopen. We appreciate your understanding as we strive to keep our bird family safe while also providing you with a fun day at our Zoo.  

Florida Bird Flu Continues Spreading as Bald Eagle Deaths Rise

On May 10, 2022 WESH-TV2 news reporter Scott Heidler reported that Brevard County is Florida's Avian Influenza epicenter with eight recorded bald eagle deaths. Heidler interviewed Brevard Zoo Veterinarian Trevor Zachariah for the news story.

Brought here by migrating ducks, the bird flu was first discovered in Florida back in January.

Several thousand birds are thought to have died from the disease, including at least 23 bald eagles.

The most in Brevard County was eight, and the county is known as Florida’s bird flu epicenter.

“We’ve been dealing with it the longest, so our local wildlife has been exposed to it the longest. I think that’s why the numbers are greater,” Trevor Zachariah, the director of veterinary programs at Brevard Zoo said.

Why does that mean more eagles have been dying here?

“Eagles naturally are both predator and scavenger. They do a fair bit of both,” Zachariah said.

“And when you have animals that pass from avian influenza disease, then the eagles will take advantage of that opportunity for easy food and get exposed to the disease that way,” Zachariah said.

Brevard Zoo officials say that their aviary could reopen but in a limited form with only low-risk birds.

High-risk birds, like bald eagles, would remain in protected areas.

That’s mainly because wild black vultures and bald eagles from the zoo could mingle in their habitats.

The vultures are scavengers too, but since they have the highest rate of infection, they could also be spreading it among themselves.

It's not just in Brevard, but across the state, black vultures have the highest bird flu infection rate.

The risk for humans to contract bird flu is very low.

There are no cases in Florida and there’s only one reported case in all of the U.S.

Even though human infection is very low, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission experts recommend that you do not handle dead or sick birds, and be sure to keep your pet birds away from any wild species.

Resources

Brevard County Extension Services Office Avian Influenza Press Release. Published March 1, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

Brevard Zoo Avian Influenza Notice. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

WESH-TV2 Florida bird flu continues spreading as bald eagle deaths rise. Published May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

Location: Estuary: Viera, Brevard County: Brevard County

Source: Indian River Lagoon News ENews Article Published by Indian River Lagoon Project on May 12, 2022.

Topic: Wildlife

Related Article: IRLNews:Avian_Influenza_Confirmed_in_Florida