Is Bird Flu Behind 22 Dolphins, 5 Humpback Whales Being Washed Ashore in New Jersey, Florida? Fears H5N1 Will Jump to Human Rise After It Killed Mammals

Numerous dolphin and whale deaths have been reported across the east coast, and scientists speculate that bird flu is the cause of death. There's now a growing fear that the virus will affect humans next.

Bird Flu Killing Dolphins, Whales?

Data from The Marine Mammal Stranding Center showed 22 dolphins, and five humpback whales washed ashore in New Jersey since January. On Wednesday, rescue crews spent hours trying to hydrate eight stranded dolphins, and according to them, it was "agonizing" watching their health decline. Despite their efforts to save the animals, two died, and the other six were euthanized several hours later. There were dozens more in North Carolina.

There are speculations that those mammals died due to the H5N1 virus. The University of Florida suspects that the mammals interacted with a wild bird killed by the virus, DailyMail.com reported.

A spokesperson said that the dead marine animals are being tested at a lab for the cause of death.

In a previous report from Science Times, two dolphins died due to bird flu in Pembrokeshire and Devon in February. It was the first bird flu observed in dolphins on the British coasts.

Meanwhile, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center reported five humpback whale deaths; a total of 16 have perished from North Carolina to New York from Dec. 1, 2022, to March 1, 2023, the highest number ever recorded during that particular three-month period. Officials are testing the whales found on the northeast coast and several on the west coast for bird flu.

The incident fueled the fears that the bird flu pandemic would eventually affect humans. The virus killed over 330 seals in New England in 2022 and other mammals, including foxes, raccoons, and bears.

Since the H5N1 virus has already spread to more animals, there are fears that it will mutate and infect humans. The highly pathogenic virus has already spread around the globe for 18 months, killing hundreds of millions of domestic birds and countless wild ones.

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Human-to-Human Bird Flu Transmission

In February, an 11-year-old girl from Cambodia passed away due to bird flu. Her father tested positive two days later, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to voice concern about a potential human-to-human transmission.

Cambodia's Communicable Disease Control Department (CDC) said the father had shown no symptoms and had already recovered and discharged from the hospital. CDC added that there was no human-to-human transmission, and both the father and daughter contracted the virus from birds in the village.

The H5N1 virus rarely infects humans; when they do, it's usually in direct contact with infected birds. Nearly 900 confirmed H5N1 cases in humans were reported in the past two decades, and over 450 deaths, according to WHO.

Bird flu symptoms could appear in 3 to 5 days after being infected. Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, headache, sickness, stomach pain, cough or shortness of breath, chest pain, bleeding from the nose and gums, and conjunctivitis.

NHS suggests washing hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food, using different utensils for cooked and raw meat, avoiding live birds and poultry, keeping distance from sick or dead birds, and skipping undercooked or raw poultry and eggs.