Traces of the virus H5N1, also known as avian flu, were found in Austin’s wastewater this past month, according to Austin Public Health. However, no human cases of avian flu have been reported in Austin yet.
This strain of H5N1 often comes from birds, livestock or secretions from cows that end up in wastewater. Dr. Desmar Walkes, the Austin Public Health Department medical director and the Travis County health authority, said reported cases of H5N1 have mainly presented as mild cases of pink eye or respiratory symptoms.
“This is a little different presentation of this particular virus in that we’re seeing the conjunctivitis or pinkeye,” Walkes said. “What is good to note, though, is that each (H5N1 case) that we’re seeing currently circulating in the dairy population that has infected these three individuals who are farmworkers has been treated with Tamiflu, which is a regularly prescribed antiviral medication and all three individuals recovered.”
The Texas Department of Agriculture detected the disease in dairy cows in Texas in the spring. Chris Sullivan, a molecular biosciences professor, said that avian flu only becomes worrisome if it’s able to replicate.
“There’s only been three examples of cow-to-human transmission,” Sullivan said. “There’s been zero examples of human-to-human transmission, and … I would be surprised if it evolved to efficiently transfer human-to-human, so at this point, much like the public health officials (and) the CDC, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
The CDC recommends avoiding unprotected exposure to sick or dead birds, livestock or litter to reduce the risks of H5N1. Jaquelin Dudley, a molecular biosciences professor and the associate director of the LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease, said people working directly with animals will be more exposed to these events.
“College students are prone to abuse themselves and not get enough sleep (and) not eat properly, and those things are really necessary for the immune system to function properly,” Dudley said. “So that’s how we get infections all the time, but we can get over them because our immune system will fight it off. But you have to give the immune system a chance to do that.”
