Lower Cape TV: Avian Flu Widespread on Cape Cod—What to Know
07 February, 2025 – CAPE COD, MA – The increase in avian flu cases represents the biggest the U.S. has seen to date. Although Massachusetts has no known human cases, state and local authorities say following public guidelines will mitigate spillover and limit the risk of mutations.
What Is The Avian Flu?
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, HPAI or the avian flu, is a highly transmittable virus naturally carried by migratory birds, primarily water fowl. The new strain, H5N1, entered the U.S. in late 2021 and in 2022 the first infected wild birds in Massachusetts were detected on Cape Cod. It has spilled over onto domestic birds and dairy cattle, from which humans have caught the disease. There have been no known human in Massachuetts to date. Dairy cattle have been routinely tested in Massachusetts once a month since August last year. One poultry farm with 30 birds in Plymouth – the only one in the state –had to be euthanized in late January 2025.
How many people have been infected in the U.S?
In the U.S. a total of 67 people have been infected since 2024, 24 through domestic birds, 40 through cattle. For three people the source could not be traced. “We have not seen human to human transmission. and if you have not handled or been around the direct environment of sick or dead birds, your risk for being infected with avian influenza is still very low at this time,” says Lea Hammer, Contract Epidemiologist for Barnstable Health Department.
What are the symptoms?
For most people the symptoms are very mild, resembling a flu or a cold, sometimes with red and swollen eyes. In January 2025 one person died. “Folks with underlying medical conditions that have a hard time fighting off respiratory infections could consider themselves to potentially be a higher risk group,” Hamner says. She adds that people on immunosuppressive therapies vulnerable to infections could also have a harder time with the avian flu. The number of people infected to date is to small to assess risk groups, Hamner says, and draws her conclusions of seasonal flu patterns.
Authorities stress to stay away from dead or sick birds, but to report any sightings of groups of five dead birds or any number of dead or sick raptors. John Herbert, director of bird conservation at Mass Audubon, says you do not have to be a birder to be able to spot the illness. “The avian flu affects their cognitive ability. So you can often see if they’re struggling to fly, if their head is moving in odd directions, or if they’re not acting right, they can’t fly right, they’re not walking right,” Herbert says. “That’s when we ask our members and the public to report those sightings to the state of Massachusetts.”
Why is there an outbreak now? Continue reading at Lower Cape TV’s website: Avian Flu Widespread on Cape Cod – What to know
