Kansas City Zoo Confronts Bird Flu Threat

Another pandemic is on the horizon and this time around local institutions want to get ahead of the devastation.

Here's a peek at precautions underway at this town's money pit . . . 

The Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed Thursday that HPAI, a highly transmissible respiratory infection that can be deadly to some bird species, had been found in a wild American white pelican in Clay County.

Additionally, the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab confirmed positive cases in birds in Pettis, Randolph and St. Charles counties.The illness HPAI causes can range from mild infection to a “much more acute, contagious illness that can be fatal to birds," according to the KC Zoo.

Under the current H5N1 subtype, the outbreak can “have devastating effects in poultry” and is primarily transmitted through “direct bird-to-bird contact.”

Although the KC Zoo said the risk to humans is small, it’s taking steps to remove birds to prevent contact with wild birds like ducks and geese, who are natural carriers of viruses.

“Zoo leadership and veterinary health staff will continue to monitor the situation and make additional decisions as the outbreak continues,” the Kansas City Zoo said in a statement.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas City Zoo takes precautions to mitigate avian influenza risks

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Zoo announced Friday that it will relocate several types of birds to protect their health and well-being amid an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in the region.