Bird Flu (H5N1)
From
Forest Hills
Sent
Fri, Mar 14 @ 9am
Description
From the Allegheny County Health Department:
The Allegheny County Health Department would like to share some important information about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1.
What is happening?
H5N1 bird flu affects wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows in the U.S. There have been several recent human cases in U.S., with one death reported. While the current public health risk is low, the health department is watching the situation carefully and is working with state and federal partners to monitor people with exposures to infected animals. Although bird flu has been detected in animals in Pennsylvania, including in Allegheny County, no human cases have been reported.
What is the health department doing? Bird Flu (H5N1) Information - Allegheny County, PA
The health department advises that people avoid direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with H5N1 bird flu. In addition to working with state and federal partners to monitor people with exposure to infected animals, the health department is ensuring that healthcare providers have the information that they need to identify individuals who may be infected and ensuring that people who have a higher risk of exposure have the resources they need to stay healthy.
What can you do?
The health department recommends that people should avoid handling sick or dead birds. If you must handle these animals, we encourage the use of personal protective equipment, like masks, gloves, and eye protection. You should report sick or dead wild birds to the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 833-742-4868 or?pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov. RESIDENTS WHO OWN CHICKENS: report ill flocks to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852.
This notification was posted by Forest Hills. Forest Hills is solely responsible for this notification and unless specifically indicated, no other community or individual utilizing Savvy Citizen is sponsoring, responsible for, or endorsing this notification.
