On March 4, the Case Western Reserve University community was greeted with an alert warning that geese around Wade Lagoon may have contracted bird flu. A follow-up alert on March 6 confirmed cases of bird flu among the Wade Lagoon geese.
“The Ohio Division of Wildlife is sending a specialist to Wade Lagoon to investigate suspected avian flu, as multiple geese have been found dead or exhibiting symptoms of illness,” the March 4 alert read. While the message noted that there had been no cases of human-to-human transmission, it advised strongly against touching “any birds/geese or their surroundings.”
The March 6 alert said, “While the risk to the general public is low, the Case Western Reserve University campus is now considered an affected area, so it is important to take precautions.” It recommended disinfecting shoes if one has walked through an area with significant goose feces.
On Feb. 12, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reported the first case of someone in the state being infected with bird flu; the man lives in Mercer County, which is on the western edge of the state, and he was reportedly in contact with dead commercial poultry.
The ODH’s statement said that “[t]here are no known cases of human-to-human transmission” of bird flu. Its advice for the general public is to “avoid direct contact with wild birds or sick or dead poultry or other animals” and to “[c]ontact your local health department or local veterinarian for further guidance before you approach sick or dead poultry or wild birds.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that “getting a seasonal flu vaccine only prevents seasonal flu and will not protect against H5N1 bird flu.” There is currently no publicly available human vaccine for bird flu.
On April 1, 2024, the CDC reported the case of a person in Texas who contracted bird flu from contact with dairy cows. As of March 18, 17 states have reported outbreaks in dairy cows across 989 herds, most of which are in California.
The downstream effects of the bird flu outbreak have been most felt in the price of eggs. In the last few months, egg prices have risen because of the culling of many chicken flocks, exacerbating a problem that was present throughout the 2024 presidential election. Despite bird flu, however, the price of eggs has fallen more than $3 since March 5, with the average dipping below $5 for a dozen eggs. Many brands of cat food have been recalled due to potential contamination, while egg-based flu vaccines are safe because they come from flocks that are isolated from the disease.
Per the CDC, there have been 70 cases of bird flu in the United States and one death as of March 19. The current public health risk is classified as “low.”