What should you do if you see a sick bird?

H5N1, better known as HPAI or “bird flu," is back on our radar after four birds in Dane County have tested positive for the virus. We're also in the middle of bird migratory season, with millions of birds migrating through our area through October. Our advice for you is to avoid or carefully manage sick or injured birds, whether they are part of your backyard flock, or found in the wild. 

If you see a sick bird, leave it alone.

For many of us, it's human nature to want to help. So, when you see a hurt or sick creature, your first response might be to try and help it. Right now, our best advice is to leave them alone. By attempting to pick up or move the bird, you're not only putting yourself at risk, but you're potentially endangering the people and animals wherever you decide to take it.

The current risk to public health remains low, but we are monitoring the situation closely, and so should you.

Bird flu activity typically peaks during this time of year because of migration patterns. So, it's good to be alert and aware of the best steps to take to protect yourself, especially now.

Reading reliable information like this blog post is a great step to take. Other things to do include:

• Avoid contact with wild birds and sick or dead animals. We can't emphasize this enough. Avoiding contact with wild birds whenever possible and keeping pets away from them is the best way to limit your risk of exposure and protect others.
• If you do have to handle a sick, injured, or dead bird, take extra precautions to protect yourself. Wear personal protective equipment, like disposable gloves and a well-fitting mask, and dispose of the bird in a bag and place in the garbage.
• Get your seasonal flu shot. The seasonal flu shot protects against the other strains of influenza that are currently circulating in our community. Getting that shot reduces your risk of getting sick this winter and reduces the chances of getting the H5N1 bird flu and seasonal flu at the same time. Why is that important? Having both types of flu at the same time could allow the virus to change in ways that enable it to spread from human to human.
• Do not consume raw milk or raw milk products. Cases of bird flu continue to be identified in cattle. The pasteurization process kills harmful germs by heating the milk to a specific temperature.
• Review this guidance if you work or handle poultry or dairy cows, available on the DHS Farm Worker Health and Safety webpage.
  • What Employers Should Know About Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) (multiple languages)
  • What Workers Should Know About Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) (multiple languages)

If contact does happen, monitor yourself for symptoms.

The most likely scenario you may have contact with wild birds or livestock is, of course, if you work with them and have contact with sick animals. If that happens, monitor yourself for symptoms. Symptoms of mild illness may include eye redness or irritation, fever, cough, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, can lead to complications like pneumonia or organ failure.

Public Health is your source of trusted information.

We will continue to monitor any new cases of H5N1 bird flu in Wisconsin and will provide updates when we can. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to our blog, to get new posts sent directly to your inbox and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

We also have a webpage dedicated to H5N1 Bird Flu.