TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — If you start to see birds acting unusually in the Big Bend, your best bet is to leave them alone. That's because Bird Flu has now been confirmed in the confirmed in the capital city.
An injured duck found in Tallahassee had the disease, as confirmed by the St. Francis Wildlife hospital in Quincy.
St. Francis is now under a bird-quarantine, and as a precautionary measure, will not accept any sick, injured, or orphaned birds.
"We have never taken action like this before with something that is highly pathogenic," said Pat Simmons, Vice President with St. Francis Wildlife. "Highly pathogenic meaning it is very infectious among birds. As far as we know, there have been no cases of this avian flu in people."
According to the C-D-C, bird flu can be transmitted to people in rare instances, causing severe illness and death.
Right now, bird flu has been detected in wild birds in 14 U.S. states, and in commercial and backyard poultry in 13 states.
To protect yourself and your pets from bird flu, Simmons suggests covering any outdoor bird enclosures to prevent contact with wild birds.
Bird flu is most prevalent in waterfowl, so be sure to clean your shoe bottoms after visiting any lakes with duck or geese.
And if you spot a sick or dead bird, report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
