Bird flu detected in domestic, Canadian geese at Scottsdale park
Dec 20, 2024, 2:39 PM | Updated: 2:42 pm
Geese at a Scottsdale park have tested positive for bird flu. (Photo by Luke Sharrett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Luke Sharrett/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Bird flu cases continue to pop up in metro Phoenix, this time in geese at a Scottsdale park.
Arizona Game and Fish Department officials (AZGFD) tested multiple domestic and Canadian geese that were found dead recently at Chaparral Park and determined they were positive for avian influenza.
The strain of the virus is likely the same one that has been found in other locations in the Valley, AZGFD said.
Where else has bird flu been detected in the Valley?
It’s been a busy month for bird flu detection in metro Phoenix.
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First, poultry at a commercial farm in Pinal County tested positive for bird flu on Nov. 15.
Three weeks later, two of the facility’s workers tested positive for avian influenza, the first known human cases in Arizona since the virus was detected domestically in 2015.
On Nov. 21, bird flu was detected at a backyard flock in Maricopa County.
The most recent occasion happened Dec. 11 when a number of animals at Wildlife World Zoo were confirmed to have avian influenza. According to ABC15, five animals died as a result of the outbreak: a cheetah, a mountain lion, a swamphen, an Indian goose, and a kookaburra.
Anne Justice-Allen, state wildlife veterinarian for AZGFD, said other animals, including a red-tailed hawk from a rehab facility in Phoenix, have tested positive or are in the stages of being tested for the virus.
Is it easy to get bird flu?
There is no evidence to date of human-to-human transmission of bird flu. As a result, the risk to the general public remains low.
Most human infections occur after unprotected exposure to sick or dead infected animals, or their environment.
Typically, infections happen when the virus gets in a person’s eyes, nose or mouth.
Bird flu symptoms in humans can range from mild respiratory issues to pneumonia, organ failure or even death.
Anyone who suspects poultry to have bird flu should call the sick bird hotline at 866-536-7593.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz-McNair contributed to this report.
