Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, continues to be detected in wild birds across much of Washington.

Most recently, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed cases in birds in Snohomish, Spokane, Whatcom, Benton, Walla Walla, Adams, and Whitman counties.

Last week, a Grays Harbor County resident was confirmed to have H5N5, an avian influenza virus previously reported in animals from the Atlantic Flyway, but never before in a human. While this is concerning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to consider the risk to human health from avian influenza to be low.

WDFW’s recommendations to keep you, your family, and pets safe remain the same. If you feed birds, or hunt waterfowl or upland birds:

Wear disposable gloves when cleaning harvested birds.

Do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead.

Do not eat, drink, or smoke while cleaning game.

Wash hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately after handling game or cleaning bird feeders.

Wash tools and work surfaces used to clean game birds with soap and water, then disinfect with a 10% solution of household bleach.

Cook game birds thoroughly to an internal temperature of 155 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill disease organisms and parasites. Freezing does not kill the HPAI virus.

Unless you are hunting, never touch dead wildlife. Please report sick or dead wild birds or animals at https://survey123.arcgis.com/…/1550804e5fd743668049e06d…, and do not allow pets to scavenge on dead or sick wildlife.

There is extensive avian influeza information at wdfw.wa.gov/birdflu and you can find avian influenza human health info at https://doh.wa.gov/…/illness-and-disease-z/avian-influenza.