Avian influenza genetic material has been detected in a wastewater sample from Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi, according to the state Department of Health (DOH). Genomic sequencing identified H5N1 genotype D1.1 in the sample, which was collected October 14, 2026 at a site in East Kaua’i. DOH was notified of the result Oct. 26.
This is the first detection of that genotype in Hawaiʻi as well as the first H5N1 detection tied to this year’s seasonal bird migration for the state. Read more