{"id":140213,"date":"2025-02-07T22:07:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T03:07:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140213"},"modified":"2025-02-07T22:07:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T03:07:32","slug":"st-lukes-takes-steps-to-identify-bird-flu-cases-and-prepare-for-future-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140213","title":{"rendered":"St. Luke\u2019s Takes Steps to Identify Bird Flu Cases and Prepare for Future Developments"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Luke\u2019s Takes Steps to Identify Bird Flu Cases and Prepare for Future Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response to avian influenza (a.k.a. \u201cavian flu\u201d or \u201cbird flu\u201d), St. Luke\u2019s is preparing its lab for surveillance and opened an email \u201chelpline\u201d to answer basic questions from the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we have not had any known human cases of avian influenza in our local area, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, we have learned from past novel infectious diseases that it is prudent to be proactive in our approach,\u201d said Jeffrey Jahre, MD, St. Luke\u2019s Senior Vice President of Medical & Academic Affairs and Section Chief Emeritus of Infectious Diseases.<\/p>\n

During the height of the Covid crisis, St. Luke\u2019s emerged as the leading source of information and guidance locally as well as a most trusted resource statewide and nationally. \u201cWe are proud of our leadership role and continue to take our responsibility to our community very seriously,\u201d Jahre said. \u201cWe learned during Covid that we cannot wait for government agencies to ride in and save the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s is working closely with the Network\u2019s lab and clinical providers to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment should there be local cases of human infection of avian influenza.<\/p>\n

In addition, the Network\u2019s Occupational Medicine department has proactively shared information with and offered assistance to the region\u2019s extensive poultry industry.<\/p>\n

To educate the public \u2013 always a critical step in fighting infectious diseases \u2013 the Network is sharing the FAQs below. It has also established an email \u201chelpline\u201d to which Lehigh Valley-area residents can direct questions:\u00a0birdfluquestions@sluhn.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, there is no cause for alarm,\u201d Jahre said. \u201cBut taking some preliminary steps now will help us to assess our current situation and prepare for possible future developments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avian Influenza FAQs<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is avian influenza?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Avian influenza (i.e., \u201cavian flu\u201d or \u201cbird flu\u201d) is a type of influenza that primarily infects birds but can sometime cause infection in mammals like cows, and rarely humans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How widespread is avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wild Birds<\/u><\/p>\n

Avian flu has been found worldwide in wild birds including waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds since 2022.\u00a0 There has been an uptick in the number of wild birds infected in both the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey in the past month.<\/p>\n

Poultry and Cattle<\/u><\/p>\n

Avian flu has also been causing outbreaks in domestic poultry and dairy cattle in some areas of the US.\u00a0\u00a0 Pennsylvania had its first case of avian flu in a commercial chicken flock in Lehigh County this month.\u00a0 So far, there have been no cases of avian flu in cattle in Pennsylvania, and no cases in poultry or cattle in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Cats<\/u><\/p>\n

Since 2024 dozens of cats have also contracted avian flu, including barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild (e.g., mountain lions, tigers, leopards, and bobcats).\u00a0 Infection is thought to be largely related to exposure to unpasteurized milk and raw or undercooked meat in food.<\/p>\n

Humans<\/u><\/p>\n

There have been 67 confirmed human cases of avian flu in the US since 2024, including one death.\u00a0 There have been\u00a0no<\/u>\u00a0reported human cases of avian flu in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Ninety-six percent (96 %) of cases in the US have been linked to animal exposures.\u00a0 There have been\u00a0no<\/u>\u00a0documented cases of human-to-human spread.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the symptoms of avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most human cases of avian flu in the US have been mild.\u00a0 Symptoms have included eye redness and irritation (this has been the predominant symptom), mild fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuff nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How is avian flu spread?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Almost all cases of avian flu in humans have been caused by close contact with infected live or dead birds.\u00a0 There have been rare cases of spread to humans from infected mammals like cows.\u00a0 So far, there has been\u00a0no<\/u>\u00a0known human-to-human spread of avian flu.\u00a0 The avian flu virus has also been detected in unpasteurized (raw) cow\u2019s milk.\u00a0 While there have been no cases of human avian flu directly linked to raw milk, it could be still be a potential source of infection.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the incubation period of avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The time from when a person is exposed to avian flu to when they develop symptoms is about three days but can range from two to seven days.\u00a0\u00a0 Eye symptoms such as redness and irritation can be one of the earliest symptoms, occurring one to two days after exposure.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do we test for avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patients with avian flu will test positive for influenza with our current PCR tests.\u00a0 Further specialized testing could then be performed to confirm the avian flu strain in people with risk factors for exposure.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How is avian flu treated?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our current medications for influenza (i.e., Tamiflu) have activity against avian flu.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does the annual influenza vaccine protect against avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, but there is an approved avian flu vaccine for humans that is being held in the national stockpile in case it would be needed.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can individuals avoid becoming infected with avian flu?<\/strong><\/p>\n