Avian flu suspected in lakefront bird deaths
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A dead duck at Oak Street Beach. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
After multiple recent reports of ducks and geese washing up dead on Chicago's lakefront, Illinois wildlife officials tell Axios they believe the deaths are the result of a bird flu resurgence caused by warmer weather.
Why it matters: The deaths coincide with the arrival of a new strain of bird flu and with the Trump administration's partial blackout on external health communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Catch up quick: Bird flu has struck 113 U.S. flocks in the last 30 days, affecting 19 million birds and spiking egg prices and, soon, local bakery costs.
- In the last year, at least 66 people in the U.S. contracted bird flu — one fatally — mostly those who work with dead or sick birds.
- Last month 3,000 layer hens were infected and killed by the disease in south suburban Matteson, just 36 miles from the city.
- Last weekend the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors got reports of more than 100 dead and sick birds, from Hyde Park to Wilmette. Most were diving ducks known as red-breasted mergansers, WGN reports.
New precautions: Officials warn Chicagoans to try to avoid ubiquitous goose droppings that litter paths and grassy areas of local parks.
- "Bird poop on shoes should be washed with soapy water," Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Brandon Damm tells Axios.
- People should also avoid tracking it into their homes.
- "Due to risk of infection, dogs and other pets should be kept away from the carcasses of birds that may have died from HPAI," Damm added.
What they're saying: "If you look at what's happened the last eight weeks, the number of poultry operations that have gone down — and more recently, the duck operations — is absolutely stunning," Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told Axios.
Zoom out: The CDC communications freeze amidst the outbreak is worrying and angering some scientists.
- "This idea that science cannot continue until there's a political lens over it is unprecedented," Anne Schuchat, a former principal deputy director at the CDC, told KFF Health News.
- The pause has effectively blocked publication of a pair of bird flu studies, including one about veterinarians who could have been infected while treating cattle and another about the ability of people to transmit it to domestic cats, KFF Health News reported.
Between the lines: There's a lot of uncertainty around whether the administration is merely pausing communication or making a wholesale change in how the agency functions, Patrick Jackson, a UVA Health infectious diseases expert, said on a call with reporters Friday.
- "Frankly, getting CDC up and running at full speed is going to be essential to keep track of avian influenza," he said.
What we're watching: How many more local birds will die and what that means for swimming and recreation with pets on the lakefront.
- Illinois officials have asked residents to report any cluster of more than five dead birds and to stay away from them.