3rd confirmed case of bird flu in Philadelphia was at live market, health officials say
Another case of bird flu has been detected in Philadelphia, according to the city health department. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low.
This is the third confirmed case of bird flu in the city this year. The first was in a goose found in West Philadelphia, and two — including the newest one confirmed on Friday — have been in live bird markets that are now closed.
Bird flu has been spreading from wild birds to commercial chicken and cattle farms.
"We do have a number of live markets in Philadelphia — and have for many, many years — where people can go in and select a particular bird or type of bird for custom slaughter," said Dr. Aliza Simeone, an infectious disease specialist at Penn Vet.
Health officials say bird flu is mainly spread by live infected animals and the risk with dead birds is much lower.
Gayle Mendoza, with the Philadelphia Health Department, says this is the second time bird flu has been detected in a live market.
"Those markets at that point are shut down," Mendoza said. "The birds are culled or killed to reduce any potential risk of further spread."
Health officials say the risk to the general public is very low.
"The vast majority of people who've been exposed and have then become sick or tested positive were people with very close contact, either to infected poultry or to infected cattle elsewhere in the country," Simeone said.
There have been about 70 cases nationwide of people infected with bird flu but none in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware.
For now, health officials say buying and eating chicken and beef remain safe as long as regular safety precautions such as handwashing and avoiding cross-contamination are followed and items are thoroughly cooked.
There are also some concerns about raw milk. The FDA is currently recommending that people only consume pasteurized milk because there is limited information about the transmission of bird flu in raw milk.
