Geese found dead on UMass Amherst campus test positive for bird flu
AMHERST - Two Canada geese found dead on the UMass Amherst campus recently have tested positive for avian flu, the school said Tuesday. This comes after dozens of geese died of suspected bird flu in Plymouth , Massachusetts over the weekend.
It's the first known positive test of bird flu on the Amherst campus. The university has put signs near the campus pond that warns people not to feed or touch geese. The school has also alerted town officials and told faculty who might interact with animals to take precautions.
In Plymouth there were 60 dead geese, and another 10 to 15 birds sick in the water of the Billington Sea reservoir. The New England Wildlife Center CEO said it's "strongly suspected" that the deaths are linked to the H5N1 virus.
Plymouth health officials are urging the public to avoid touching birds and to keep any backyard poultry flocks away from wild waterfowl.
Experts have been anticipating a possible spike in avian flu cases as birds migrate south from Canada. Bird flu was confirmed in a backyard flock in Vermont in late December.
