In the September/October 2022 issue I reviewed then-current knowledge about avian influenza (see “Avian Flu,” or read it at shootingsportsman.com/avian-flu). In that piece I emphasized that this was a rapidly evolving situation and acknowledged that the information available might rapidly become outdated. Here I’ll outline important developments since then.
Some of what follows may sound overly technical and irrelevant to those interested in shotguns, dogs and hunting; however, there are good reasons to pay particular attention. The principal reservoir for the avian influenza virus is and always has been wild birds, especially waterfowl, although most human cases have been linked to domestic poultry and livestock. At press time I am not aware of a documented case of human infection acquired from wild ducks, but the potential remains.
First, some bad news. Previously I emphasized that while the incidence of documented cases of human infection was increasing, none of the cases were serious. That is no longer true. In November 2024 a previously healthy teenage girl in British Columbia was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Testing revealed that she had contracted the H5N1 virus responsible for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Although she was in critical condition and required intensive care, she survived. While the vast majority of human infections have been directly linked to contact with birds or animals, one unusual aspect of this case was that investigators never identified a source of the infection.
A Louisiana man was less fortunate. In December 2024 he acquired a similar illness due to the same virus and died. In contrast to the Vancouver case, he had been exposed to sick domestic poultry. While most human infections remain mild and do not require hospitalization, these cases demonstrate the virus’s potential for causing severe human illness.
The incidence of disease due to the H5N1 virus in both domestic animals and humans continues to rise. At the time of my 2022 article, only one human case had been documented in the US. In 2024 there were 64. Thus far, there have been no confirmed cases of viral mutation capable of human-to-human transmission—the development that ignited the pandemic we’d all like to forget (although we shouldn’t).
There have been recent advances in the prevention and management of human H5N1 infections. Early opinions suggested that existing anti-viral agents used to treat common influenza might be affective against H5N1, but that was speculative at the time. In the summer of 2024, the CDC recommended that all patients with symptomatic avian influenza receive a brief course of oseltamivir, a standard treatment for people with ordinary flu. Because it has been used for that purpose for years, its safety is well established. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in a small number of studies abroad, but it will need final confirmation by larger studies.
The significant aspect of this development is that now if you think you might have bird flu, there is something you can do about it. Many cases of bird flu result in no symptoms, and in those that do it can be hard to distinguish from everyday benign viral illnesses like colds. Two factors suggest that the illness could be H5N1. The first is exposure history, since so many cases are associated with domestic livestock (especially dairy cattle) and poultry. Second, one symptom that points toward the diagnosis is conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), which does not occur in most common colds. A flu-like illness associated with either factor should prompt medical evaluation and possible treatment.
Despite the politically driven controversy it aroused during the Covid pandemic, immunization remains the most effective means of controlling infectious diseases. Our country is behind in its response to the threat of avian influenza, and most experts feel that we should be making more effort to develop safe and effective vaccines against the disease. The European Union has developed an mRNA vaccine and stockpiled millions of doses. Finland is especially concerned, because it has many fur farms raising mink and foxes. In June 2024 Finland became the first nation to offer the vaccine, although it was only distributed to high-risk people working in the fur industry. More testing will be required to confirm efficacy and safety.
Because so many avian influenza cases have been identified in domestic birds and livestock, concern has arisen about the safety of consuming poultry, beef and milk. More good news. Extensive testing has indicated no more than rare examples of H5N1 in commercially raised beef and poultry, and there have been no clearly documented cases of transmission by this route. Pasteurized dairy products also appear safe, and most authorities recommend against consuming raw milk.
Although avian flu has become a major problem in domestic birds and livestock, it is much less common in dogs. However, it does occur. Simple means of minimizing their risk include keeping them away from domestic poultry, making every effort to keep them from picking up sick or dead birds other than those you have shot, and not feeding them scraps from gamebirds and waterfowl. For now, I see no reason to keep them out of the field.
How should hunters distill all this scientific information into practical recommendations that they can apply to their own hunting activities? In my previous article I presented a list of guidelines, to which I would refer you in order to avoid repetition. Most were common sense, uncontroversial and largely untested by scientific means. Since they are easy to follow and still make sense, I won’t contradict any of them. However, two recommendations—one old and one new—are especially important to hunters.
• Meat from harvested gamebirds (including waterfowl) should be cooled and frozen as soon as possible.
• Gamebird meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°.
When I was discussing possible treatment options with patients in my medical practice, one of the most common questions I heard was, “What would you do?” Here are some ways I have (and haven’t) modified my own behavior in response to concerns about avian influenza.
• Two years ago I recommended the common advice to wear latex gloves when cleaning birds, but I didn’t do it. Now I do.
• I have good retrievers and sometimes hunt in places where other hunters have been previously. On occasion one of my dogs will deliver a duck that I did not shoot. It is usually impossible to tell whether the bird died of illness or another cause. When that happens, I tell the dog to drop the bird, and then I pick it up with a gloved hand and put it somewhere beyond the dog’s reach.
• I used to toss my dogs an occasional duck liver after a long day in the field. I no longer do.
• For years I commonly cleaned birds in my barn, but I always clean them outside now.
• I preferred cooking duck like medium-rare beef, to a temperature of around 135°. I cook them longer now, to 165°.
• Since I like to hang my birds for several days, weather permitting, I don’t freeze them immediately after cleaning. Yet.
If we’re lucky, avian influenza will continue to have limited implications for hunters and their dogs. However, if I believed in luck, I’d be in Las Vegas rather than writing this while snowed in on a Montana mountainside. Viruses mutate constantly, and an H5N1 mutation that allows human-to-human spread would put us back in Covid territory. We need to be doing a lot more than we’re doing to detect the virus, develop safe and effective vaccines and expand treatment options.
Stay informed, but don’t stop hunting.
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