Navigating the risk of bird flu in Massachusetts

HUDSON, Mass. – Several communities in Massachusetts are carefully navigating the risks of bird flu spreading as dead birds continue to be spotted in parks, ponds and lakes.

In Hudson, reports of two dead birds on a local pond over the weekend has the Hudson Health Department monitoring the situation out of an abundance of caution, and Director of Public and Community Health Lauren Antonelli said it’s important for nearby residents to know what they should and shouldn’t do.

“We were concerned that community members might try to go out onto the pond and recover them themselves, the birds and in particular the swans at Bruce’s Pond have a large following amongst the community,” Antonelli said.

Antonelli and her department pulled a team together with the Hudson Fire Department and the town’s animal control officer to recover the two dead birds, but the town was told they wouldn’t be tested for bird flu and leaders were advised to take precautions.

Now, visitors of Bruce’s Pond will notice new signage warning of the possible presence of bird flu, advising them to keep a safe distance from the geese, ducks and swans often gathered there.

“The virus could travel home with people, and so if they have their own domestic poultry or even household pets, those animals are at higher risk of contracting the virus,” Antonelli said. “The risk to humans is very minimal, but we want to try to contain it as much as possible.”

This has also been a concern for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, which has been working closely with farms and backyard poultry operations to stress the importance of biosecurity. As Commissioner Ashley Randle explains, this includes some basic steps farmers can take to improve their animals’ chances to stay healthy.

“The number one way to prevent the spread of bird flu or coming into contact with the virus is to make sure that all poultry are inside coops or poultry housing and do not have the ability to interact with wild birds or come into contact with their feces,” Randle said.

Randle said the department is also advising farmers to make sure they seal any small holes in their coop’s infrastructure to prevent wild birds from finding their way inside.

On the state’s website, there are forms for reporting dead wild birds and domestic poultry, which helps agencies keep track of any potential new cases in the region.