As expected, the avian flu outbreak in Plymouth has been officially confirmed, weeks after dead and dying birds began showing up across town.
The town on Monday received notice from a national laboratory that six of nine bird carcasses collected in Plymouth and submitted for testing carried the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, commonly known as avian or bird flu.
The town “remains committed to removing deceased birds and wildlife from the community,” it said in a press release. “As part of these ongoing efforts, town officials removed 21 birds from Long Beach on Friday afternoon, February 21st.”
Plymouth and state officials are still urging residents to take precautionary measure to limit the spread of the disease. They include:
- Keeping pets away from dead birds and other wildlife, and to avoid touching carcasses.
- Leaving the removal of deceased birds or other wildlife should to town and state officials.
- Keeping “backyard poultry” contained “for the foreseeable future.”
If you come across a dead animal, the town said, report it to the Health and Human Services Public Health Division at 508-322-3339 and the Animal Control Office at 508-888-1186.
You can also file a report through the town-run SeeClickFix platform.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that it is “watching the situation carefully [nationally] and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures.” It gave no indication of when spread of the disease might subside.
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.