Delaware is tracking a bird flu that’s been detected in wild birds in Kent and New Castle Counties.
DNREC says the USDA confirmed the Eurasian H5 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in eight wild ducks and a Canada goose in Kent County and a red-shouldered hawk in New Castle County.
The USDA is now working with federal and state partners, including DNREC on additional avian influenza surveillance and testing.
All the ducks found to have HPAI - including five northern shovelers, one American wigeon, one black duck and a gadwall - were harvested by hunters and submitted to APHIS for sampling.
The Canada goose was a mortality submitted for testing and the red-shouldered hawk was tested for HPAI after arriving at Tri-State Bird Rescue in Newark for rehabilitation.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to the general public from HPAI H5 infections to be low.
But DNREC reminds people that the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill bacteria and viruses, including HPAI.
No human infections with Eurasian H5 viruses have occurred in the United States.
