More than 60 birds, geese, swans and ducks, were recently found dead in Plymouth, Massachusetts, state officials said Sunday, identifying the suspected cause as highly pathogenic avian flu.
While the virus rarely infects people, MassWildlife, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Agricultural Resources urged the public not to touch birds or other animals that are dead or seem sick. Instead, they should report large groups of dead or sick birds at mass.gov/reportbirds.
Footage of apparently dead and distressed birds in Plymouth was circulating on social media this weekend, and the announcement Sunday confirmed an outbreak at Plymouth’s Billington Sea. Officials said there have been other, smaller avian flu outbreaks elsewhere in the state affecting geese.
Avian flu can affect both wild and domesticated birds, officials said, and wild mammals, especially ones like foxes that scavenge on birds, can also become infected.
The people who are most likely to become infected with avian flu are ones who have had prolonged contact with infected birds, the officials said. Anyone wonder about the illness can read more here or call the Department of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology at any time of day at 617-983-6800.
The town said that affected birds were removed Sunday morning, with a state lab testing birds to find how they died. They also said they were told it can take several days to confirm a positive case of bird flu.
“Town and state officials continue to advise residents to keep all domestic animals away from any deceased birds and to avoid contact themselves. The Town will continue to collaborate with state officials regarding this matter and will update the public as more information becomes available,” the announcement said.
The Cape Wildlife Center shared images of the teams responding to the Billington Sea, a pond, on Sunday.
“While this is not a situation anyone wants to be in, we hope that today’s collective efforts have a positive impact by helping to better understand the root cause of this outbreak and by removing sick and deceased birds from the environment to reduce further spread,” the animal rescue said in a Facebook post.
On Saturday, the center had noted an increase in avian flu cases, sharing general information about the virus.
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