Bird Flu: Virus detected in Maricopa County wastewater samples
PHOENIX - Officials with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health say they have detected "an influenza subtype associated with avian flu" in wastewater within the county.
According to a statement released on Dec. 30, the influenza A(H5) subtype, which can include H5N1, was detected in Phoenix, Surprise, and Tempe. The three cities conduct wastewater monitoring, but officials said it is "not currently possible to confirm a precise source location of the viral detection."
"No human cases of avian flu have been detected in Maricopa County, and the risk to the general population remains low," read a portion of the statement.
Recent bird flu cases in Arizona
In recent weeks, cases of bird flu have been detected within Arizona.
On Nov. 15, Arizona Department of Agriculture officials say poultry at a commercial farm in Pinal County tested positive for bird flu.
Weeks later, on Nov. 25, state health and agriculture officials say a backyard flock within Maricopa County tested positive for the virus.
On Dec. 6, state health officials said two people who were "exposed to infected poultry while working at a commercial facility in Pinal County" tested positive for bird flu.
"These individuals reported mild symptoms, received treatment and recovered," read a portion of the statement.
On Dec. 11, Maricopa County health officials say bird flu likely led to the deaths of five animals at Wildlife World Zoo.
What is avian influenza?
According to the Mayo Clinic, avian influenza, which is also called ‘bird flu,’ is caused by influenza type A virus infections in bird species.
Per the website, birds could die from avian influenza in very serious cases.
"Bird flu rarely infects humans, but health officials worry because influenza A viruses that infect birds can change, called mutate, to infect humans and spread from person to person more often," read a portion of the website. "Because a new strain of bird flu would be a new virus to humans, a mutated strain like that could spread quickly around the world."