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Southborough health staff: avian influenza risk to people remains low; backyard poultry owners urged to take precautions
Summary
Health staff told the Board of Health the town is following Massachusetts DPH and CDC guidance, advised residents to avoid contact with wild waterfowl, and outlined reporting steps for clusters of dead birds and backyard poultry deaths.
Chris, a Town of Southborough health staffer, told the board on March 11 that local health officials are following guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on avian influenza.
“Risk to public health remains low,” Chris said, adding that current guidance indicates no sustained human‑to‑human transmission. He said people who handle livestock or poultry regularly are at highest risk and that residents with backyard flocks should follow biosecurity measures.
Chris summarized reporting guidance cited by state agencies: the public should report five or more dead wild birds in the same location to MassWildlife, and owners of backyard poultry should report mortality events to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources so the state can monitor outbreaks. He advised poultry owners to prevent contact between flocks and wild birds, not to share equipment with neighboring flocks, and to use appropriate personal protective equipment when handling birds or poultry housing.
The board received the update as an informational item; no regulatory action was proposed at the meeting.
Why this matters: an avian influenza outbreak among poultry is primarily an animal‑health matter but can have downstream public‑health and agricultural impacts; monitoring and reporting help state agencies track and respond to cases quickly.
