Bird flu in El Paso – what we know so far
by Priscilla Totiyapungprasert
January 27, 2025
Texas officials recently reported highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in captive wild birds in El Paso this past December – the first cases reported in more than two years in the city.
Following a media release about recent bird flu findings across the state, Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Lerrin Johnson confirmed the El Paso cases were found in the 79905 ZIP code. The area lies between the border and Interstate 10, spanning just west of the Chamizal National Memorial on the Southside down to Ascarate Park in the Lower Valley.
The wild birds were an unknown goose and a red-tailed hawk collected in late November. A private, non-government group or person submitted the dying or dead birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It’s unclear why the birds were in captivity or how they were found. Johnson said Texas Parks and Wildlife does not have any more information. Neither USDA nor the city of El Paso provided further details about those specific cases.
Nearly 400 wild birds have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in Texas since 2022, according to USDA data Friday. The current outbreak has hit two commercial and 12 backyard poultry flocks in Texas, affecting about 1.9 million birds from those flocks, as well as 27 dairy cows.
How is El Paso responding to bird flu cases?
El Paso reported its first case of HPAI in 2022 in a captive Canada goose.
City spokesperson Soraya Ayub provided an email comment from city-county health authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza saying there are no confirmed cases of bird flu in humans in El Paso.
Ocaranza said in the email if a person is exposed, the health department would get in contact with them within 24 hours of receiving the report of human exposure to gather information and confirm exposure. The health department would advise that person to stay home and monitor for signs of bird flu for the next 10 days, which include fever, red eyes, cough and runny nose.
People who develop symptoms in that time frame should continue to isolate themselves at home and avoid contact with other people while the health department arranges testing, he said. People who do not develop any signs or symptoms are released from monitoring.
People who’ve been exposed, or suspect they’ve been exposed, to bird flu and begin developing signs should contact their health care provider, Ocaranza said.
HPAI is a viral disease that is endemic in wild bird populations and is causing outbreaks in poultry flocks and dairy cattle. There have also been sporadic infections in mammals, such as domestic cats and skunks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the first multistate outbreak of bird flu in dairy cattle March 25, 2024, after veterinarians and farmers began investigating sick cows in the Texas Panhandle.
Shortly afterward, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first human infected with bird flu, a person who was exposed to dairy cows in Texas. Animal-to-human transmission remains low, with no cases of human-to-human transmission reported, according to the CDC.
Only 64 human cases of bird flu have emerged from more than 13,400 people monitored after exposure since March 24, 2024, according to an online CDC tracker Friday.
The El Paso Department of Public Health did not respond to questions about how many people were monitored and tested after exposure to the recent bird flu cases in El Paso.
El Paso Matters reached out to the CDC, but beginning Jan. 21, the Trump administration instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, including health advisories and website updates. The CDC deferred El Paso Matters to other agencies.
State, city offer guidance on sick birds
The risk of HPAI infection is low in the general population, though poultry and dairy workers are at higher risk, Ocaranza said.
People should avoid contact with sick or dead birds. If contact cannot be avoided, they should wear personal protective equipment and practice good hygiene, such as washing hands and washing contaminated clothing with hot water, he continued.
Texas Parks and Wildlife is asking the public to not feed waterfowls in parks, and to take down bird feeders and bird baths because they allow birds to congregate and spread disease easily. The agency advises people to not handle sick or dead wildlife, or allow pets to consume any wild carcasses.
People who encounter a wild animal with signs of HPAI, listed online by USDA, should contact their local Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist. The emails and phone numbers of El Paso’s state wildlife biologists are listed online.
