Lubbock Public Health Warns Residents to Avoid Contact with Sick or Dead Birds Lubbock Public Health is urging all residents to avoid handling or touching sick or dead birds following the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as Bird Flu or H5N1, in wild birds in Lubbock and surrounding areas. Close contact with infected birds, including handling them, can lead to transmission of the virus to humans. HPAI is deadly to domestic poultry and can cause severe illness