Bird flu found in NYC park — avoid wildlife: health experts

usa news

by Natalie O’Neill

Health experts warned Wednesday that New Yorkers should stay away from wild animals after multiple cases of bird flu were discovered in a Manhattan park.

Geese, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks have tested positive for the virus at Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan. According to CBS.

Philip Mead, a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine, told the magazine that chickens infected with the disease were also found in the same green space.

“The only precaution everyone should take is to limit contact with wild animals,” he says. “Don’t run up to a Canada goose and try to catch it.”

But, “You can’t walk past a sick goose and get bird flu. That doesn’t work.”

Experts say New Yorkers should also wash their hands after coming into contact with bird droppings.

Last month, the virus was found in 12 wild bird flocks in seven states, with the majority in Texas.

The disease has also been found in poultry.

According to the CDC, there is currently no indication that bird flu is spreading to people.

In the past two years, only two people have been infected with the disease, also known as H5N1, in the United States.

The patients, each from Texas and Colorado, had come into contact with livestock, including chickens, the CDC said.