Hawaii DOH Reports H5N1 Genotype D1.1 in Wastewater on Kauaʻi - Avian Flu Diary

Public health officials in Honolulu are tracking a new signal in the island’s infrastructure. The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health reported that a wastewater sample collected in East Kauaʻi on October 14, 2026, tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, marking the first time genotype D1.1 has been detected in the state, according to Avian Flu Diary reporting.

For residents, poultry owners, and local agricultural producers, the finding shifts the conversation from distant mainland outbreaks to local monitoring. While the detection involves an environmental sample rather than a clinical human case, it signals that the strain driving poultry and dairy infections across the continental United States has reached the islands.

Tracing the Path to Kauaʻi

Hawaii sits directly beneath the West Pacific Flyway, making it a natural waypoint for migratory birds. That geographic reality caught up with the state in November 2024, when health officials recorded their first-ever detections of HPAI H5N1 through an Oahu wastewater sample followed by outbreaks in captive and wild birds. Subsequent environmental surveillance found the virus on the Big Island in Hilo in December 2024, and at a Kauaʻi wastewater treatment plant in January 2025.

Those early detections did not involve the B3.13 bovine strain or the D1.1 poultry and wild bird strain responsible for scores of mainland human infections. That changed on October 26, 2026, when the Department of Health received notification that the October 14 sample from East Kauaʻi tested positive for genotype D1.1 through genomic sequencing. Digital polymerase chain reaction testing on the same sample did not pick up the H5 target, a discrepancy state laboratories attribute to sequencing’s ability to identify genetic material present in minute quantities.

Subsequent testing of a sample collected on October 21 tested negative by dPCR, with sequencing results still pending. State officials emphasize that finding genetic material in municipal wastewater does not establish the presence of a live, infectious virus. Because the East Kauaʻi treatment facility operates as an open system, the signal could stem from animal waste, infected environmental matter, or imported commercial products.

The Response from Public Health and Agriculture

State epidemiologists are urging caution without stoking panic. Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Tan noted that while public risk remains low, the virus poses severe mortality risks for birds. “Commercial poultry producers and residents with backyard flocks are strongly advised to increase biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of infection,” Dr. Tan said, adding that pasteurized milk remains safe while raw milk should be avoided.

The detection arrives as the fall avian flu season accelerates nationally, with USDA dashboards tracking more than 2.5 million birds affected over a thirty-day span. Previous surveys conducted by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health revealed that roughly two-thirds of local backyard flock owners were unfamiliar with USDA Defend the Flock best practices or how to safely dispose of dead birds, highlighting a vulnerability in small-scale agricultural settings.

For those handling animal mortality or suspecting illness, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity advises using disposable gloves or an inverted plastic bag to double-bag carcasses for regular trash disposal, followed by thorough handwashing and clothing disinfection. Residents can report unusual poultry or wildlife sickness to the Animal Industry Division or contact the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division for potential exposure guidance.