Illinois officials say there has been an increase in birds coming down with the avian flu in recent months — including a bald eagle that had to be euthanized Saturday because of the disease.
The uptick in cases comes as a Louisiana man with underlying health conditions died from the disease on Monday — likely after exposure to a sick and dying flock of birds in his backyard. Experts stress the disease should not be of huge concern to the general public, but say those who come into contact with wild birds or other animals like cattle should take precautions.
“While the avian influenza generally poses a low risk to the population, it is essential to take the necessary steps to avoid exposure, and seek treatment quickly if you are exposed,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of Illinois Department of Public Health, in a statement.
In addition to the man who died from severe bird flu, or H5N1, at least 66 people in the U.S. were infected in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control — with almost all of the cases in people who worked with livestock or poultry. Most of those cases have been mild, with patients experiencing pink eye or respiratory symptoms. Before 2024, only one person in the U.S. was known to have bird flu, a poultry worker from Colorado who came down with it in 2022.
None of those cases have been in Illinois, but there has been a spike in birds and other animals coming down with the disease, officials say.
On Friday, residents called authorities after a bald eagle was found in distress in Hinsdale. Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, which tracks deaths of birds that fly into buildings and seeks to help injured birds, brought the eagle to the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn. It was euthanized Saturday after it appeared to be infected with bird flu, said Annette Prince, executive director of the collision monitors group.
Sarah Reich, head veterinarian at the conservation center, said the center has seen about 100 cases of bird flu since 2022 — with more than half coming in this past year.
Reich said there have been so many cases that her center stopped taking in infected water fowl like geese and ducks. However, the center does accept infected raptor species like hawks and owls.
“The large majority of these animals do not make it. They have neurological problems like seizures and trembling, and in geese, their eyes turn a hazy blue color,” Reich said.
Before the eagle died, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said there were 132 total reported deaths of birds from avian influenza in 22 different Illinois counties in the past month. All were Canadian geese, except for one feral rock pigeon that died in Kane County, spokesperson Jayette Bolinski said.
Hunters have been advised by the IDNR to thoroughly cook game meat, like geese and ducks, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If precautions are taken, eating poultry is generally safe, said Dr. Janna Kerins, a medical director in the Chicago Department of Public Health.
“There’s no evidence that anyone in the U.S. has gotten sick with bird flu by eating poultry that has been handled and cooked properly,” Kerins said “If hunters see sick or dead birds they should not handle them and should always wash their hands with soap and water. Also, if they are going to dress birds, they should do it in the field and ideally will wear gloves and separate sets of shoes. They also shouldn’t eat or drink anything when handling game and they should keep uncooked game separate from other food.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also warned against drinking raw milk, which can be sold legally in Illinois with the proper permits. No human cases have been confirmed as coming from raw milk, but cats in multiple states have died after drinking virus-laden milk, according to the CDC.
As for fears of a potential pandemic arising from bird flu, Kerins said it’s important for the public not to panic.
“We do know that flu is a disease that has the potential to cause pandemics, but truly the people who are getting sick right now are people who have been directly exposed to sick animals and not the general public," Kerins said. "And we have not yet seen it spread from one person to another although this is something that we’re watching closely.”
