Residents are being asked to avoid an Indiana beach after dozens of dead ducks washed up on shore this week.
According to officials in Whiting, the incident occurred at Whihala Beach, where more than 40 ducks washed up on shore on Wednesday.
While testing has not yet been conducted, it is believed the ducks may have been afflicted with bird flu. Ducks, geese and other waterfowl are “natural carriers” of the illness, according to the CDC, and can spread it to other birds.
Workers with the Whiting Parks Department set aside two of the ducks so that Indiana Department of Natural Resources scientists could test the birds, and most of the other ducks were removed from the beach, though some were either frozen to the ground or encased in ice, according to officials.
As a result, residents are being asked to avoid the shoreline, and to make sure to leash pets to prevent them from coming in contact with any of the birds.
Similar incidents occurred in Chicago and in suburban Cook County last week, with birds washing onshore at Oak Street Beach, North Avenue Beach and Tower Beach, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
"The Illinois Department reminds the public to not handle waterfowl or other birds displaying illness, nor transport birds to veterinarians, wildlife refuges, wildlife rehabilitators, etc." the IDNR said in its statement. "If carcasses need to be disposed of IDNR recommends following guidance from The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)."
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Infected birds can shed the virus via their saliva, nasal secretions and feces, according to the CDC. The virus is transmittable to other animals and also to humans, with dozens of cases reported across the country.
In the Chicago area, a bald eagle was found on a DuPage County street, and was determined to have been suffering from bird flu, and was euthanized. A Chilean flamingo and a harbor seal at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo also died after contracting the virus.
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There have not been any confirmed human cases of bird flu in Illinois or Indiana during the current outbreak.
