Avian Influenza: Addressing, Monitoring and Surveillance of Infection Among Animals Via Runoff Water Surveillance
Picture from Promega Connections.
Avian Influenza A (H5N1), known as bird flu, is a zoonotic influenza virus strain that affects animals and humans. It can be contracted through contact with sick birds and spread from one species to another, causing severe human infections. The onset of symptoms, which include muscle aches, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, and headache, can occur within two to eight days. It is crucial to understand that these symptoms are not exhaustive. In humans, the mortality rate for the Avian Influenza Click here to enter text.virus is alarmingly high. However, if individuals are administered antivirals, such as Oseltamivir, Peramivir, Zanamivir, and Baloxavir, within two days of symptom onset, their chances of survival may significantly increase.
Recent Detections
This disease was detected in the United States on April 1, 2024, posing a severe threat to human populations. It demands immediate attention and action, especially for individuals with close contact or unprotected and long-term exposures to affected birds, livestock, or other settings with infected species. Unfortunately, this illness can be transmitted domestically and internationally between wild birds.
A One Health Approach
Adequate monitoring and surveillance of animal infection via runoff water surveillance using a One Health approach to prevent and detect disease outbreaks is vital. The One-Health concept believes that environmental, animal, and human health are naturally interconnected. Evidence has shown that this ideology effectively manages disease outbreaks, especially zoonotic viruses that can be spread from species to species. Hence, all three factors must be considered to create practical solutions in addressing this health concern and alleviating the cause of this problem. Even though the avian flu is not specifically a waterborne disease, it can contaminate drinking water reservoirs and open water bodies from bird droppings and feces or dead bodies of waterfowl birds. Another possible source of groundwater contamination is surface runoff, which can carry the virus from infected birds to other animals or humans. Therefore, this disease has contaminated potable drinking water due to the spread of the bird flu among domestic poultry.
Wastewater Surveillance
Influenza viruses are one of the primary causes of global mortality when examining infectious diseases and environmental aspects, such as water, which contribute to these viral outbreaks. If humans want to find the origin of bird flu outbreaks, a One-Health approach for water-related diseases must be considered. Wastewater surveillance monitors contaminants in wastewater to help humans understand how the disease spreads. Wastewater samples are collected and tested at laboratories to detect and report the different types of infections. The results of these tests can help researchers build awareness of pathogens that can affect people and the environment. Therefore, environmental health is essential to understanding the impacts of Avian Influenza on animal and human health. The following explains how wastewater surveillance and the One Health approach are used for detecting contaminants in communities:
The first phase of the One Health approach is to determine the critical pathway of exposure and prioritize environmental reservoirs of the disease that could ease the viral spread between animals and humans.
The second phase is to find the critical times and locations when water-related infectious outbreaks occur.
The last stage is to determine the most appropriate intervention barrier to prevent critical pathways from happening at important times and places.
Examining wastewater epidemiology can be used to evaluate infectious diseases and to monitor livestock, poultry, and human waste. Testing, tracking, and surveillance drinking water and wastewater at treatment facilities and plants are practical intervention barriers for mitigating bird flu outbreaks.
