From Birds to Boroughs: Investigating HPAI H5N1 Avian Influenza Presence in New York City
New York City Virus Hunters (NYCVH) is the first large-scale initiative to investigate the prevalence of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) in New York City’s wild birds. We conducted our surveillance by performing RT-PCR, or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, to identify the presence of influenza virus RNA in samples collected from wild birds and city parks.
Intern(s):
Mayisha Alam, Reeda Rashid, Rebecca Rha, Swazi Tshabalala
Mentor(s):
Christine Marizzi, Paul Kehinde Ajayi, Philip S. Meade
Project Period:
2023-2024
Team:
Harlem
Background:
Since late November 2021, the 2.3.4.4b clade of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been circulating in North and South America. The term “highly pathogenic” refers to the severity of the disease and high mortality rate in poultry. As of May 21, 2024, over 90 million wild birds and poultry in the US have been affected.
Impact and Biosecurity:
HPAI can rapidly spread in commercial poultry facilities with poor biosecurity for human and vehicle traffic, and can have devastating consequences to the health of wild birds and international trade. When outbreaks occur in domestic birds, it is often policy to cull all poultry to contain the spread—a process with heavy economic losses for farmers.
Human Health Risk:
While the risk of a bird flu infection is low for most people in the US, those who are in close contact with birds and poultry are at a higher risk. Although the WHO has reported 889 human cases and 463 deaths worldwide from 2003 to April 1, 2024, the vast majority of confirmed cases have occurred before the emergence of the 2.3.4.4b clade. Although there is no need for fear, it is important to learn and be aware of the proper precautions for handling birds to prevent human infections. In addition, we recommend everyone to receive the annually updated influenza vaccine!
This page was originally developed by BioBus Summer 2021 Jr. Scientist William Rhee.