HONOLULU (KHON2) — State agencies are on high alert after a sick duck was found on the UH Manoa campus and preliminary testing revealed an unconfirmed result of H5 subtype of Avian Influenza – more commonly referred to as bird flu.
The duck was sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for confirmation.
Bird flu – a highly contagious virus amongst birds – was first found in Hawaii in a backyard flock of birds in Central Oahu in November 2024.
This testing result comes at a migration time for many bird species, leaving the Department of Health and other state agencies on alert, by checking poultry farms and wild bird populations for any sign of the virus.
“From our standpoint, we just have to maintain a state of vigilance and looking for abnormalities because now is a time that birds are migrating South,” said Dr. Isaac Maeda, State Veterinarian of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. “The detection that was found was in a migratory waterfowl, so the concern is, ‘Well, are there other birds that are going to be coming in with it?’”
While the situation is worth monitoring, state agencies are also reaffirming to the public that individual risk is low, but caution should still be exercised, particularly for those who live with or work with large quantities of birds.
“It’s not like you’re just in contact with a particular bird for a couple minutes,” said Dr. Maeda on how a human contracts the virus. “It’s usually farm workers that are actually working on infected facilities, and they’re having constant contact with the animals. And thankfully, most of those cases have been minor, eye infections, things like that.”
“Even though we are quite far away from the areas where these birds live and migrate from, bird flu can still make its way to our island shores,” said Dr. Nathan Tan, State Epidemiologist at the Department of Health. “(This case) serves as a reminder to take appropriate precautions if you come across birds that may be sick or dead or unusual groups of sick or dead birds.”
UH Manoa says that campus members will be provided with information from the DOH, and that in the event the case comes back positive, they will follow appropriate guidelines set by the DOH.
More information on bird flu can be found here at the DOH website and here at the DAB website.