Two cats in several households in New York Metropolis have been contaminated with chook flu, town’s Well being Division introduced Friday.
Officers didn’t disclose the cats’ circumstances and are nonetheless investigating how they contracted the virus, however urged pet homeowners to not let their felines roam outside or feed them uncooked meals or uncooked milk — widespread methods avian influenza will be transmitted.
“The current risk to New Yorkers of bird flu remains low,” Michelle Morse, performing commissioner of the New York Metropolis Well being Division, mentioned in a press release. “Bird flu viruses present a wider risk to the general public only if the virus develops the ability to transmit between people — which we have not seen.”
It’s attainable for individuals to catch chook flu from animals, nonetheless, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. Because the begin of the present outbreak in 2022, 70 individuals have been contaminated with chook flu, certainly one of whom died, in keeping with the CDC.
On Feb. 7, after detection of avian flu at seven reside poultry markets in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered all reside chook markets in New York Metropolis, plus Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau counties, 82 fowl markets in all, to shut for every week, and to be cleaned and disinfected.
Initially Printed: March 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM EDT
