Goose Tests Positive For Bird Flu, Philly Health Department Says

PHILADELPHIA — A snow goose found in West Philadelphia has been confirmed to be infected with bird flu.

Philadelphia Department of Public Health Saturday was notified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health that an ill snow goose, found on the 1200 block of North 59th Street Carroll Park on Jan. 11, had bird flu. The determination was made based on preliminary in-state testing, health officials said.

Any resident in the area of Carroll Park who may have had direct contact with a sick snow goose on or around Jan. 11 should call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Disease Control at 215-685-6741.

This is the first bird found in Philadelphia during the ongoing nationwide outbreak.

The Health Department also reminds Philadelphians to keep an eye out for sick wild birds, stay away from them, and contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission via telephone at 833-722-4868, email at pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov, or the online Wildlife Health Survey tool.

"The threat to Philadelphians from H5N1 remains low, but we are issuing this alert out of an abundance of caution," Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Public Health said Wednesday. "We continue to monitor the situation both here in Philadelphia and across the country."

In general, the Health Department recommends staying away from wild birds, especially waterfowl such as geese and ducks, as they are common carriers of bird flu, and reminds residents not to touch sick or injured wild animals.

Residents with concerns about sick backyard chickens should contact the PA Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 717-772-2852 and selecting option 1.

Bird flu has been in the local news recently, including snow geese deaths at two locations in the Lehigh Valley and two poultry farms in Delaware.

Nationally, nearly 1,000 dairy herds have tested positive for this flu. More than 60 people across the country have now tested positive for H5N1, and one person has died.

The vast majority of those who have tested positive were exposed directly to poultry farms or dairy herds.