What would be the significance of a finding of H5N1 in wild birds?
The U.S. government is sampling wild birds in Alaska and other areas to look for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza. The government expects to announce any detection of H5N1 even before the level of pathogenicity is determined and before it is determined if the strain is the Asian one. Therefore, an initial detection of H5N1 could turn out to be a low pathogenic, North American variety that has nothing to do with Asian avian influenza. Even if it is the Asian variety, there is no immediate threat to commercial poultry production because of the geographical separation of migratory bird areas and commercial production areas, and because commercial flocks are kept in sheltered environments.
