About Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)
Page originally published 5/1/2024. Last updated 6/9/2026.
Human infections with bird flu are rare, but the risk is higher if you:
- Handle or are near infected animals,
- Consume infected raw animal products, or
- Come into contact with infected animal droppings, feathers, or environments.
On this page:
Do not touch birds, poultry, and other animals that could be infected with bird flu. Animals can be infected with bird flu even if they do not look sick.
- Do not touch wildlife or unfamiliar animals.
- Call your local animal control agency for rescue assistance.
Only eat/drink pasteurized dairy products. The bird flu virus
can be in unpasteurized (raw) milk and other dairy products. Raw milk
may also have other germs that can make you sick.
Do not eat raw or undercooked meat or poultry.
Take precautions if you have a backyard flock.
- Keep the flock separate from wild birds and other animals.
- Avoid kissing or putting birds near your face.
- Wash your hands before and after contact.
- Avoid visits to places where other birds are kept.
- Do not touch sick or dead birds without personal protect equipment (PPE).
- If you find an unusual amount of sick or dead birds, contact your veterinarian and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Sick Bird Hotline at 1-866-922-BIRD (2473).
Get the seasonal flu vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine will
not protect against bird flu, however, can lower the risk of being
infected with both seasonal flu and bird flu at the same time. Getting
vaccinated also reduces the chance of getting very sick from seasonal
flu.
If you must have contact with birds, other animals, or their environments, wear recommended PPE and take extra precautions.
- Wear PPE: goggles or face shields, NIOSH approved respirator, gloves, coveralls, head cover, and boots.
- Work outdoors or in well-ventilated areas.
- Wash hands after contact with animals or their environments, and before eating, drinking, or taking breaks.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wear dedicated work clothing and footwear. Keep on-site and wash regularly.
- Change clothes and footwear and shower after work.
- Be mindful of heat safety when using PPE.
If you find a sick or dead wild bird or other animal:
- Avoid unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals, including animal feces (poop), litter, or materials.
- Contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to report dead wildlife.
- Sick wildlife can be rehabilitated by the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program.
- If you see an unusual number of sick or dead birds in your flock, or other animals (such as livestock), contact the CDFA Sick Bird Hotline at 1-866-922-BIRD (2473).
If you have pets:
- Keep pets indoors, or supervised outside, to prevent contact with wild birds, wildlife, poultry, and cattle.
- Prevent pets from touching or eating dead birds or other animals.
- Do not feed pets raw meat, poultry, or unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products. Consult your veterinarian fir appropriate food choice.
- Talk to your veterinarian if your pet is sick or potentially exposed to raw meat, unpasteurized dairy, poultry or dairy cattle or wild birds or animals.
- Do not touch or
approach sick or dead birds orwildlife.
- If exposed, wash your hands, skin, and clothing before interacting with your pets.
- Report sick wildlife to a wildlife rehabilitator.
Bird flu can spread from infected poultry, cattle, wild birds, or other animals to people by:
- Breathing in dust, or droplets, with the virus.
- Splashing raw milk in your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after handling raw milk, feces, contaminated surfaces, or sick or dead animals.
- Drinking raw milk or consuming raw dairy products.
Groups at higher risk of getting bird flu:
- Farmworkers who work with dairy cows, poultry, raw dairy products or in slaughterhouses or hatcheries.
- Wildlife and animal workers, including rehabilitation center staff, veterinary clinic staff, pest management personnel, animal control officers, shelter staff, and zoo staff and volunteers.
- Other at-risk workers, including rendering plant workers, live bird market workers, and those with sick backyard flocks.
Illness from bird flu in people can range from no symptoms, mild symptoms, to severe illness.
Symptoms may finclude:
- Conjunctivitis (eye discharge, redness, or irritation)
- Fever
- Cough
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Headache
- Muscle or body aches
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Pneumonia requiring hospitalization
Less common signs and symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, altered consciousness or seizures.
If you have bird flu symptoms and have been near an animal, product, or person with suspected or confirmed bird flu, contact a healthcare provider right away. Tell them you may have been exposed to bird flu so they can arrange a safe evaluation. Diagnosis is done with a nose or throat swab, and testing is mos acccurate in the first few days of illness.
If you are waiting for or have confirmed bird flu test results:
- Stay home and isolate if you have symptoms.
- Monitor
symptoms. Seek care immediately if you feel worse or if you have
trouble breathing.
- Tell your healthcare provider that you have, or are being checked for, bird flu so that steps can be taken to protect other people.
- Wear a mask when entering any healthcare facility.
- Protect
others.
- Avoid contact with people, especially those at high risk.
- Wear a mask indoors around other people.
- Wash hands often or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Treat symptoms. Take medicine for aches and fever, and stay hydrated.
You may stop isolation when:
- Your eyes are no longer red, irritated, or draining if you had an eye infection,
- Symptoms are mild and improving, and
- Any fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
Call the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499, or send an email, for more information.
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