Why are birds being tested in Washington state?
The Washington testing program is part of a nationwide surveillance effort for early detection of HPAI H5N1 in wild birds. Washington state is located within the Pacific Flyway, a major north-south route of travel for migratory birds. Those migrants include several species of shorebirds and waterfowl that may have interacted with Asian migratory birds in the Arctic in recent months. If those Asian birds carried the HPAI H5N1 strain of the virus, it is possible they transmitted the virus to North American migratory birds. The Washington testing program is aimed at providing early detection of the H5N1 strain if it is present in wild birds here. Is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) the only agency testing wild birds for the disease in this state? No. WDFW is one of several state and federal cooperators in a joint statewide effort. The majority of funding for Avian Influenza surveillance is provided by the USFWS and USDA. Wild bird sampling began in July, focusing on s
