Click the player above to hear NHPR Reporter Paul Cuno-Booth's conversation with All Things Considered Host Julia Furukawa about this topic, produced by Michelle Liu.
New Hampshire health officials say they are continuing to monitor for bird flu activity, as the disease spreads across the country and in nearby states, including Massachusetts. Here’s what you need to know about the risk levels — for humans and animals — in New Hampshire.
How worried should people in New Hampshire be about bird flu?
Public health officials say the risk to the general population in New Hampshire is very low right now. No people here have tested positive for the virus, and State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan emphasized that the vast majority of human cases reported elsewhere have been in people who’ve been in direct contact with farm animals.
“There has been no evidence of person to person spread of this virus,” Chan said.
In other parts of the country, the virus has been detected in wild birds, dairy cattle, poultry flocks and other animals. At least 67 people have also tested positive, and one person has died from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Has the virus been detected at all in New Hampshire?
Yes. Bird flu is circulating in some wild birds in New Hampshire — especially waterfowl, like ducks and geese. But so far, it hasn’t spread to any commercial poultry flocks or dairy herds in New Hampshire or New England.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been tracking information on the spread of the virus in wild birds, livestock, poultry and mammals.
Given the risk to farm animals and farm workers, what precautions are being taken on New Hampshire farms?
Agriculture experts say farms and state officials are taking this seriously.
There’s ongoing testing to monitor for bird flu, both in poultry flocks and dairy herds. Since last year, the federal government has required that lactating dairy cows be tested if they’re crossing state lines. Starting this month, there will also be routine testing at milk processing plants, which will alert public health authorities to any infections at local farms, said State Veterinarian Dr. Stephen Crawford.
Farms already employ a lot of “biosecurity” measures: wearing gloves, keeping track of visitors, sanitizing boots so people don’t spread pathogens from one farm to the next, and so on.
State officials say they’ve been in regular communication with dairy farms about what they can do to keep workers safe.
“We're still considering this an animal health issue, not a human health issue,” said Sarah Allen, the state dairy specialist for the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
What about people raising chickens in their backyard?
Crawford says this is his biggest piece of advice: “Keep your birds separated from wildlife.” That means keeping any backyard flocks away from other wild animals, especially ducks and geese. You probably also want to avoid keeping a bird feeder in your yard if you also have chickens, to minimize the risk of contact.
There are other steps you can take to protect against bird flu, as well. Washing your hands before and after feeding chickens is important all the time, not just when dealing with bird flu. It’s also a good idea to have a separate set of clothes and shoes that you use just for feeding your flock — so you’re not, for example, stepping in goose feces at the town park and then tracking it back to your chicken coop.
If you don’t have backyard poultry, it’s fine to leave your bird feeder up, said Grace McCollough, the community science project leader at New Hampshire Audubon.
“The risk to songbirds, wild songbirds, overall is low,” she said.
Bird flu has also been found in some domesticated cats. Here’s more information from NPR on how to protect your pets from the virus.
What should people do if they come across a sick bird?
If you’re a hunter or someone else who might have more frequent contact with wild birds, state wildlife officials say just exercise basic precautions. New Hampshire Fish and Game has more advice here.
If you come across a lot of dead birds or birds that seem sick, let the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game know so they can do testing.
What should people know about consuming poultry or dairy products?
Cooking eggs kills viruses like bird flu. Similarly, pasteurization in milk has been shown to destroy bird flu, so the milk you get from the supermarket should be safe.
Bird flu has been detected in raw milk, which doesn’t go through the same process to kill off germs. Public health officials around the country, including in New Hampshire, emphasize that drinking pasteurized milk is the safest way to go.
“We don't recommend drinking raw milk because of the potential for other infections to be transmitted through raw milk,” Chan said, even if this particular virus hasn’t turned up yet in New Hampshire dairy cows.
