For the first time, H5 bird flu has been detected at one of Los Angeles County’s wastewater sampling sites, health officials said Friday.
Low levels of H5N1 showed up in samples from the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility in Carson, according to data provided by the LA County Department of Public Health and independent research organization Wastewater Scan.
H5N1 is a type of avian influenza that has been spreading nationwide among birds and mammals, including seals, foxes, cats and cows, according to health officials. There were no reports of human H5N1 cases in LA County, and the overall risk of catching the virus remains low for residents. Currently there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of H5N1 in the U.S.
“Public Health is actively engaging key risk groups such as dairy and meat processing sites to identify possible sources of H5 avian flu in wastewater,” according to a department statement. “The virus may have been introduced into wastewater by discarded contaminated animal products, infected wild bird droppings entering the sewage system, or animal infection.”