Plymouth officials are warning residents to assume that the avian flu is present in town, and that the outbreak extends beyond the Billington Sea area, where about 70 dead birds were removed by environmental workers on Jan. 19.

In a CodeRED alert sent out via text message, voicemail, and email Thursday evening, the town said it has been “advised by state officials of additional outbreaks of bird flu throughout the community.”

The advisory went on to say that while bird flu rarely infects humans, people should not touch or remove sick, injured, or dead birds or wildlife. Officials also said that pets should not be allowed to roam freely, so that they are less likely to come in contact with dead animals that may carry the virus. Cats are especially susceptible to the disease.

It urged people to report sick or dead birds to the town by calling the public health department at 508-322-3339 or animal control at 508-888-1186.

The collection of the dead Canada geese, swans, and ducks were from the 269-acre Billington Sea (which is a freshwater pond) involved the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Cape Wildlife Center, and the Clean Harbors environmental company, as well as Keane.

Other birds, visibly ill, were euthanized at the scene.

State officials said at the time that they suspected that birds found at Billington Sea were infected with virus. Samples from those birds were sent for testing and since then, “a number of birds” were swabbed and presumed positive for H5N1, said Nicole McSweeney, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.  

The National Veterinary Services Lab of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the only laboratory in the country equipped to confirm a positive finding of H5N1 in birds. The testing process can take several weeks, but other labs can return a “non-negative” or “presumed” finding of the disease. That was what tests on the Billington Sea birds showed.

“Based on that information we are following protocol for avian flu,” Keane said.  “Best to be cautious and continue to communicate and educate our residents and visitors regarding possible avian flu.”

Outbreaks of H5N1 have been reported among cattle and poultry in other states, and human cases have been reported. Most people infected in the United States have experienced mild symptoms, but a person in Louisiana who worked with poultry died earlier this month.

Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org.

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