Bird Flu Confirmed in Texas Skunk

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) today announced the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a striped skunk recovered from Carson County, located east of Amarillo in the Texas panhandle.

As of March 21, 2023, this is the first confirmed case of HPAI in mammals in Texas.

HPAI is a highly contagious virus that transmits efficiently among wild and domestic birds. The virus can spread directly between animals and indirectly through environmental contamination.

Since the H5 clade 2.3.4.4b. appeared in North America in January 2022, over 6,000 H5N1 detections in wild birds, by 47 states (14 states within 30 days), leading to the loss of over 58 million birds as of March 17, 2023.

For mammals, current data shows transmission occurs primarily through the consumption of infected animal carcasses, though mammal-to-mammal transmission does not appear sustainable.

Other mammal species confirmed with HPAI in the U.S., Canada, Central Ameria, and South America include foxes, raccoons, bobcats, opossums, mountain lions, and black bears. 

Because of the ease of transmission, the TPWD recommends that wildlife rehabilitators also remain cautious when intaking wild animals with clinical signs consistent with HPAI and consider quarantining animals to limit the potential for HPAI exposures to other animals within the facility.

Currently, the transmission risk of avian influenza from infected birds to people remains low.

But the public should take basic protective measures, such as wearing gloves, face masks, and handwashing if contact with wild animals cannot be avoided.

Furthermore, the U.S. government has approved avian influenza vaccines should human-to-human transmission occur since the annual flu shot is not effective against this type of influenza.