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- Utah wildlife officials say avian influenza has been found in wildlife across 10 counties since November.
- The virus has been confirmed in over 100 wild birds, as well as a few mammals.
- Officials advise precautions for domestic birds; human risk is considered low.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah wildlife officials say highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in birds and other wildlife across 10 counties since November, including three counties that had never had positive cases from other waves before late last year.
The virus has been confirmed in over 100 wild birds, as well as three red foxes, one mountain lion and multiple skunks across Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Emery, Millard, Salt Lake, San Juan, Tooele and Weber counties, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials said in an update on Wednesday. Box Elder, Emery and San Juan counties had previously not had any cases since the national outbreak began in early 2022.
"We saw a lull in new avian flu cases in wild birds from January 2024 to November 2024, but since last fall, we have seen another uptick in new cases across Utah," said Ginger Stout, the division's veterinarian, in a statement.
The update comes after division officials told KSL on Friday that over 15,000 eared grebes are believed to have died within the Great Salt Lake ecosystem because of the virus over the past few months. A few grebes account for the 122 confirmed cases, while the rest of the species deaths are likely positive cases. Wildlife officials added that the outbreak "should not have a significant impact" on the 4 million grebes that migrate through the region every year.
Other impacted bird species include Canada and snow geese, hawks, gulls, and barn and great horned owls, among recent cases. A different outbreak wave led to several California condor deaths within the Utah-Arizona flock of the critically endangered species in 2023.
Experts believe farm animals have been impacted because of contact with infected wild animals. State agriculture officials said in October and November 2024 that bird flu had been found in cattle, chickens and turkeys across the state, leading 1.8 million chickens to be culled in Cache County.
Egg prices have skyrocketed nationwide in recent months during the latest outbreak wave. Human risks are considered low, but there have been 68 human cases, including one death, since 2024, according to the federal government.
As for wild species, Utah wildlife officials say people should regularly clean their birdfeeders or birdbaths as a precaution. People with domestic ducks or chickens should consider removing anything that could attract other birds, which can spread the virus through nasal or oral discharge, or fecal droppings, Stout said.
She added that anyone who sees five or more dead waterfowl or shorebirds in an area, or any individual dead scavengers or raptors, should report it to their nearest division office.
"Make sure you don't touch the birds or pick them up," she said. "Report it to us, and we will come collect them for testing. We are continuing to monitor this virus in wild bird populations."
