Officials issued the warning after 60 birds were found dead with suspected avian flu

Officials in Plymouth, Massachusetts, told the public on Sunday that more than 60 birds found dead in Billington Sea are suspected to have died of bird flu, or bird flu.

On Sunday morning, members of the Clean Harbor management team contracted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, along with state officials, responded to Billington Sea to remove dozens of geese, ducks and other dead wildlife from the lake.

A day earlier, a veterinarian told city officials that a dead goose removed from Plymouth was “highly suspected” of having avian influenza, or bird flu.

Since there is only one lab in the US that can officially confirm a case of bird flu, it could take up to a week to get a definitive answer, officials said.

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However, state officials say they will begin testing the birds removed from Billington Sea to determine the official cause of death.

State and local officials have advised the public to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds and other animals that may be infected with the avian influenza virus, and to wear protective gear if handling wild animals is unavoidable.

Those who keep chickens should take precautions as bird flu can spread through direct contact between birds.

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A pair of influenza A (H5N1) virions, a type of bird flu virus (Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC via AP/File)

“Poultry owners should keep their birds away from wild birds, limit the number of people who have access to your flock, and if you share equipment with other bird owners, clean and disinfect between areas,” said Plymouth Public Health Director Karen Keane.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that handling infected birds is unlikely to lead to illness in humans. However, there have been 67 human cases of bird flu since 2022, and 66 of those cases occurred in 2024.

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In fact, precautions continue to increase as bird flu cases continue to appear across the US

On Thursday, the CDC announced its recommendation to screen influenza A patients in the hospital quickly and carefully to differentiate between seasonal flu and bird flu.

Accelerated “subtyping” of influenza A in hospitalized patients in response to “occasional human exposure” to bird flu, the CDC wrote in a press release.

The goal is to prevent delays in the diagnosis of bird flu infections and to promote better patient care, “timely infection control” and case investigations, the agency said.

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These delays are more likely to occur during flu season due to the high volume of patients, according to the CDC.

Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.