More than 100 vultures found dead near Maryland’s Conowingo Dam from avian flu

Greater than 100 black vultures have been discovered useless close to the Conowingo Dam since mid-April after an outbreak of the extremely pathogenic avian flu, officers say.

The discoveries have resulted within the closure of a number of strolling trails within the space, as officers work to curtail the unfold of the lethal virus amongst birds. The danger to people stays low, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management, although one poultry employee examined optimistic for the avian flu in Colorado final month. That employee, the primary human case of the virus within the U.S., has since recovered.

Since its arrival to the USA, the virus has swept via home flocks, and tens of millions of birds have been culled. Domestically, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore opted to take a lot of its fowl species off-exhibit to make sure they wouldn’t come into contact with contaminated birds or their droppings.

This got here after a number of circumstances of the virus had been reported amongst poultry on Maryland farms in March — one in Queen Anne’s County and one in Cecil County. However no circumstances have been reported in Maryland since, in accordance with the Maryland Division of Agriculture’s web site. Cooking meat and eggs to an inner temperature of not less than 165 levels Fahrenheit kills the virus, referred to as H5N1, in accordance with the CDC.

Close to Conowingo, Constellation officers say they’re working intently with state and federal businesses to “shield the general public, and wild and home birds within the space, together with the world’s beloved eagles,” in accordance with a information launch.

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“It’s simply an unlucky scenario,” mentioned Ted Evgeniadis, who serves as riverkeeper for the Decrease Susquehanna, which hosts the dam. He really useful hikers go to the Susquehanna State Park close by for different strolling trials.

Officers opted to shut the paths — the Mason Dixon Path from Fisherman’s Park to Shuresville Highway and the Shure’s Touchdown Wildflower Path (also called the Decrease Susquehanna Heritage Greenways Path) — primarily in order that hikers wouldn’t step on droppings or bodily fluids from contaminated animals, probably spreading the illness.

“Black vultures have been noticed at these places and these momentary closures are meant to assist scale back HPAI unfold,” learn the information launch from Constellation. “We are going to reopen these websites when it’s prudent to take action.”

A lot of the useless birds had been discovered close to the primary guard shack coming into the Fisherman’s Park car parking zone on Shure’s Touchdown Highway and close to the Mason Dixon Trailhead, in accordance with the discharge. The gravel parking space adjoining to the path at Fisherman’s Park has additionally been closed. Officers haven’t discovered any useless birds subsequent to the dam itself or the fishing wharf, Constellation mentioned.

Federal laboratory testing confirmed the presence of H5N1 in samples taken from vultures discovered useless within the space on April 22, mentioned Stacey Hofmann of the Delaware-Maryland HPAI Joint Data Heart. All the birds sampled examined optimistic, she added. Since then, greater than 100 of the vultures have died from the illness, Hofmann mentioned.

“We can’t verify a complete depend as wild birds typically get sick and die the place folks can’t see them,” Hofmann mentioned in an e-mail. “Black vultures are additionally recognized to fly lengthy distances, which implies contaminated vultures could die in different places and transmit the virus to different birds.”

Up to now, the vultures are the one species affected within the space, Hofmann mentioned. Officers are conducting surveillance and choosing up useless vultures to stop scavenging by different birds or wildlife, she added. Officers are recommending that the general public keep away from contact with birds, particularly useless birds or any which can be performing erratically. Birds can have the virus and present no indicators of sickness.