HPAI spreads easily among birds and – while rare – can spread from birds to people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to people from HPAI viruses to be low.

It is the first known case of avian flu in domestic birds in the county, but a bald eagle found in the county in September 2022 tested positive for avian flu. Any birds in the Madison County flock who did not die from the illness will be euthanized to prevent the spread of the virus in accordance with recommendations from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets,

It also could mean there are more “virus–infected dairy cattle in states where infection in dairy cattle has not yet been identified,” the CDC says. Human cases of bird flu still remain rare, with only 68 cases confirmed in the United States by the CDC.

A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians. The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in previously undiagnosed farmworkers.

Two vets said they had no known exposures to animals with known or suspected bird flu, and one said they didn’t practice in a state where there were known bird flu infections am