#18,519
On December 19th the LA County Health Department Confirmed H5 infection in two cats in a second household, and announced they were investigating 3 other sick cats at the same location.
Unlike the first event - which was linked to raw milk - the second outbreak was tentatively linked to the consumption of two brands of commercial raw meat pet food.
A week ago, following the death of a cat in Oregon, the LAC DPH issued the following warning:
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising residents to not feed their pets raw food following a voluntary recall of Northwest Naturals Brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe Raw & Frozen Pet Food due to detection of H5 bird flu virus in product samples.
Late yesterday, LA county expanded this warning to include Monarch Raw Pet Food, which sells their product line through local distributors and farmer's markets across the state of California.
First, the full statement from the LA County Health Department, after which I'll return with a postscript.
December 31, 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising residents to not feed their pets Monarch Raw Pet Food sold at several farmers markets in California due to detection of H5 bird flu virus in product samples. A house cat that consumed this product has been confirmed H5 bird flu positive. Four other house cats from the same household are presumed to have also been positive for H5 bird flu after consuming the product.
Residents who fed their pets Monarch raw pet food products or other raw meat or dairy products and notice their pet is experiencing symptoms should immediately contact their veterinarian. A listing of farmers market locations where the raw pet food was sold can be found on the product website.
Residents should avoid consumption of all raw milk and raw meat products and not feed these to their pets.
Public Health recently confirmed H5 bird flu in four house cats from a separate household that consumed recalled raw milk and became sick and died, which is part of an ongoing investigation. Cats infected with H5 bird flu can develop severe illness that may include neurologic signs, respiratory signs or liver disease that can rapidly progress to death. There have been no human cases of bird flu associated with exposure to these cats yet identified.
About H5 Bird Flu
H5 bird flu refers to various strains of influenza A viruses that typically infect birds. While these viruses mainly affect wild birds, sometimes they also infect other animals, including wild and domestic animals (including seals, foxes, cats, and cows). H5N1 is one type of avian influenza that has been spreading among birds and mammals, leading to a nationwide outbreak. This is the first time these bird flu viruses have been found to be spreading in cows. The overall risk of H5 bird flu to the public remains low. There is currently no evidence of person to person spread of this virus.
Public Health has been working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the local LA County agricultural community to ensure key risk groups, including farm workers, workers at dairy, egg, and meat processing facilities and backyard flock owners receive information and resources to help identify and protect against this infection; this includes access to gloves, face masks and eye protection along with access to testing and flu vaccines.
Public Health has confirmed the first case of H5 bird flu in a human in Los Angeles County who was exposed to livestock infected with H5 Bird flu at a worksite.
Symptoms of H5 bird flu virus infection in humans may include:
- Eye redness or discharge
- Cough
- Sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- muscle or body aches
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- trouble breathing
- Fever
Symptoms in cats infected with H5 bird flu may vary and include:
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness
- Respiratory and/or neurological signs
For questions or to find a nearby clinic or doctor, residents can call the Public Health InfoLine at 833-540-0473. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, visit our websites:
Avian flu in animals: publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/HPAI.htm
Avian flu in humans: ph.lacounty.gov/acd/diseases/h5n1.htm
Over the summer of 2003 we followed two large outbreaks of H5N1 causing the deaths of scores of domestic cats in Poland, and in South Korea. Both were linked to the consumption of raw food.
Last October, in Vietnam: Govt. Confirmation Of `Dozens' Of Tiger Deaths (H5N1 Suspected), a diet of locally sourced raw poultry was blamed for a deadly outbreak at two zoos in Dong Nai Province.In early December, in Emerg. Microbes & Inf.: Marked Neurotropism and Potential Adaptation of H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4.b Virus in Naturally Infected Domestic Cats, we looked at a report on the HPAI H5 infection of a house full of domestic cats in South Dakota last April.
Isolates from the two cats that were tested showed signs of viral adaptation to a mammalian host. The authors wrote:
Cat H5N1 genomes had unique mutations, including T143A in haemagglutinin, known to affect infectivity and immune evasion, and two novel mutations in PA protein (F314L, L342Q) that may affect polymerase activity and virulence, suggesting potential virus adaptation.
Dead cats showed systemic infection with lesions and viral antigens in multiple organs. Higher viral RNA and antigen in the brain indicated pronounced neurotropism.
The H5 virus currently lacks the ability to transmit efficiently from human-to-human, but every mammalian infection is another opportunity for the virus to crack that code.
Although the CDC continues to rank the risk to general public from avian flu as low, they do provide very specific guidance to pet owners on how to limit their risk of infection from the virus (see What Causes Bird Flu in Pets and Other Animals).
