HONOLULU (KHON2) — A recent investigation by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in a backyard flock of birds in Central Oahu.
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Health officials are now advising individuals who attended the Mililani Pet Fair on November 2, 2024, and had contact with ducks or geese to monitor for symptoms of influenza-like illness or conjunctivitis.
While certain birds from the infected flock were present at the fair, the onset of illness in the birds did not occur until several days later. As the birds showed no signs of infection at the time, the risk of H5N1 transmission to humans is considered low.
However, out of caution, the DOH is urging attendees who handled the affected birds to watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and pink eye, which typically appear within two to five days of exposure, though in some cases symptoms may take up to 10 days to develop.