Dairy cows, chickens in Riverside County test positive for bird flu

Animals at dairy and poultry farms in Riverside County have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, prompting health officials Wednesday to urge people who are regularly in contact with cows and chickens to take additional precautions.

Animals at 23 egg and dairy facilities, including one backyard coop, have tested positive amid the most recent bird flu outbreak that is nationwide, according to the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

“The overall risk to the general population is low,” county Health Officer Geoffrey Leung said. “Additional safety measures are being implemented at affected dairy and poultry farms, including ongoing monitoring for symptoms in farm workers, the use of personal protective equipment and ensuring access to timely laboratory testing and treatment if and when needed.”

Officials directed most of their concern primarily to exposure risks of agricultural workers and anyone who frequently is in contact with livestock and pointed out that no person-to-person transmission of the virus has been detected in the United States.

“Bird flu is spread from infected cows, birds and other animals to people in a variety of ways,” according to the health department.

Breathing in dust or droplets with the virus; touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands after touching contaminated surfaces or handling sick or dead animals; and consuming raw unpasteurized milk or milk products are all ways to get bird flu, officials said.

These are suggested precautions for those who may have exposure risks:

• wash hands immediately after contact with farm or wild animals, or handling anything around them;

• don’t touch eyes, nose or mouth before hand-washing;

• use personal protective equipment when in the animals’ spaces;

• try to shower after working with the animals; and

• as much as possible, only interact with them outdoors or in well- ventilated locations.

Symptoms of avian flu include red eyes, coughing, sore throat, clogged nasal passages, diarrhea, vomiting, body aches, headaches, fatigue, respiratory difficulty and fever, according to health officials.

The health department is working with the Office of the Agricultural Commissioner, the Department of Animal Services and the Department of Environmental Health to spot risks at livestock facilities and do containment efforts if needed.

Poultry owners who have flocks exhibiting suspicious illnesses or deaths should call the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Sick Bird Hotline, 866-922-2473, officials said.

More information on the avian variant is at ruhealth.org/avianflu.

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