How could HPAI H5N1 arrive in North America?
Migratory birds, particularly waterfowl and shorebirds, cross the Bering Sea between Alaska and Asia during their seasonal cycles of breeding, molting, and wintering. Some species breed in North America and cross the Bering Sea to molt during summer or to winter along the Asian coast. Other species breed in Russia and migrate to wintering grounds in North America. Utah falls on the borders of the Pacific and the Central flyways, which are major routes of travel used by birds when migrating between breeding and wintering grounds in North America. It is still not know if these migrants will acquire the HPAI H5N1 virus in Asia, how persistent HPAI H5N1 virus is in wild bird populations, or whether migratory birds can become long distance carriers.
