The City provides information about avian influenza, which is also known as bird flu. The strain H5N1 has only been found in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The bird flu virus in those areas does not spread easily from person to person.

H5N1 avian flu has not been found in birds in New York City or anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Contact with birds in New York City does not place you at risk for getting the bird flu.

Federal and State agriculture agencies are monitoring poultry and migratory birds for avian flu. The City works closely with these agencies to make sure that H5N1 avian flu could be detected quickly if it appeared in or around New York City.

There is no vaccine for avian flu.