Plymouth, MassachusettsOfficials alerted the public on Sunday that more than 60 birds found dead in the Billington Sea were suspected of being killed by highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu.
On Sunday morning, members of Clean Harbor Waste Management contracted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, as well as state officials, responded to Billington Sea to remove several wastes. Geese and swans And other dead wildlife from the pond.
The day before, the state ornithologist told city officials that a dead goose transported from Plymouth was “highly suspected” of avian influenza, or bird flu.
Officials said that because there is only one laboratory in the United States that can officially confirm a positive case of bird flu, it could take up to a week to get a final answer.
(Reuters/Dado Rovik/Photo/File)
However, state officials say they will begin testing the birds removed from the Billington Sea to determine their official cause of death.
State and local officials advised the public to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds and other animals that could be infected with avian influenza viruses, and to wear protective equipment if contact with wild animals is unavoidable.
Those who raise poultry should also take precautions because bird flu can spread through direct contact between birds.
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A pair of influenza A (H5N1) viruses, a type of avian influenza virus (Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC via AP/File)
“Poultry owners should keep their birds away from wild waterfowl, limit the number of people who have access to your flock, and if you share equipment with other bird owners, clean and disinfect between sites,” said Karen Kane, Plymouth Public Health Director.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says handling infected birds is unlikely to result in humans contracting the disease. However, there have been 67 human cases of bird flu since 2022, of which 66 occurred in 2024.
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In fact, safety precautions continue to increase as cases of bird flu continue to emerge across the United States
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced its recommendation that hospitalized influenza A patients be tested more quickly and more accurately to differentiate between them. Seasonal influenza And bird flu.
The accelerated “subclassification” of influenza A in hospitalized patients comes in response to “sporadic human infections” of avian influenza, the CDC wrote in a news release.
The goal is to prevent delays in identifying avian influenza cases and promote better patient care, “timely infection control” and case investigation, the agency said.
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These delays are more likely to occur during flu season due to higher numbers of patients, according to the CDC.
Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.
