The Hawaii Department of Health says so far, no one has tested positive for avian influenza after the first detection of H5N1 in a flock of ducks and geese last week.

DOH followed up with 54 individuals for potential exposure to the infected flock in Wahiawa.

Of that total, 34 were offered testing due to exposure to the infected birds without personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks and goggles, or because they developed respiratory symptoms within the past 10 days.

A total of 29 consented to testing, which involved collecting swabs from the throat, nose, or eyes for a polymerase chain reaction analysis from DOH’s State Laboratories Division.

The results for all 29 came back negative for avian influenza, the department said.

Some of these individuals had very high-risk exposure to the flock, while two people with symptoms tested positive for common cold viruses.

The investigation into potential exposures to people who interacted with ducks or geese from the flock at the Mililani Pet Fair on Nov. 2, meanwhile, is ongoing.

DOH urged anyone who attended the Mililani Pet Fair to remain vigilant for symptoms as some of the ducks and geese from the flock were present, but had not developed the first signs of infection until a few days later.

DOH says at least four people whose only exposure was at the Mililani Pet Fair have been tested for avian influenza — all with negative results. Additional results from the pet fair will be shared as they become available.

DOH has also worked with the U.S. Department of Defense to identify individuals with potential exposure after volunteering at the sanctuary.

They have been tested for avian influenza, DOH said, and there are no confirmed cases.

Susan Wilkinson, founder of the nonprofit Susie’s Duck Sanctuary, shared her story in order to alert others to the danger of the virus.

Wilkinson said the ducks she had rescued from around the isle suddenly grew ill a few days after the pet fair.

About 20 of the birds, including her beloved goose Hector, died within the first week. She also found at least a dozen dead zebra doves, which were wild, and not pets, on her property.

The rest of the flock were euthanized once H5N1, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, was confirmed by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, has determined through the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa that the strain of avian influenza in the infected flock was of the clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype A3.

The A3 genotype is indicative of a spillover from migratory birds, according to Lyndsay Cole, spokesperson for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

It is a different genotype from the one found in the current outbreak among U.S. dairy cows.

DOH said the A3 genotype was first identified in wild birds in Alaska in 2022, and that it remains unknown whether it is likely to infect humans or other mammals.

It is also different from the genotype reported in a critically ill teen diagnosed with H5N1 in Canada.

APHIS has now included Hawaii in its map of states with detections of avian influenza among commercial and backyard poultry flocks. Hawaii is listed as having two infected backyard flocks in mid-November impacting 79 birds.

While initial human test results are reassuring, DOH is still urging the public to remain vigilant.

DOH advises the public to:

>> Avoid close contact with wild birds, and if you encounter birds that appear sick or have died, don’t approach them.

>> Report sick or dead birds, especially if multiple or unusual, to the Department of Agriculture (808-483-7106 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays or 808-837-8092 during other hours and holidays).

>> Hawaii residents who recently visited or worked on a farm in another state with known or suspected H5N1 animal infections should call the DOH disease reporting line 808-586-4586 for a telephone risk assessment.