LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County health officials announced that seven geese and a heron have tested positive for avian flu, marking the first time the disease has been detected in the county this year.
Officials caution that while the risk to the general public is low, human transmission is possible.
Roughly 47 million birds have died this year amid a nationwide outbreak of avian influenza, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with an estimated 42 states impacted. Wild birds can carry and transmit the bird flu to birds that people keep as pets or livestock. Transmission is likely to spread with migrating birds.
