Two geese in Southside Park test positive for avian flu

The City of Woodstock is advising residents to avoid touching wild birds and bird droppings after two Canada geese in Southside Park tested positive for avian influenza.

Staff have received several reports of sick or dead geese in the park over the last few weeks. As a precaution, two of the dead geese were sent to Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative for testing and the City has been informed that both birds tested positive for avian influenza.

“We’re in contact with Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative to continue monitoring and tracking any sick or dead birds found in our parks. We’ve also been in touch with Southwestern Public Health to share information and resources on protecting the health and safety of staff and the public,” said Reta Horan, Supervisor of Parks and Forestry.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza – also known as bird flu – has been circulating in the province since 2022. The virus can cause disease in wild birds, commercial poultry, and wild and domestic mammals. The risk of transmission from infected wild birds to people remains very low.When human infections have occurred, it is almost always following sustained close contact with infected live or dead poultry or contaminated facilities. In addition, there has been no evidence of sustained person-to-person spread of avian influenza.

In consultation with Southwestern Public Health, residents are encouraged to avoid touching all wildlife, and to take precautions when visiting local parks:

• Keep yourself and your pets away from wild birds and bird droppings. If you see a wild bird that is sick, injured or dead, do not touch it.
• Report any sick or dead birds to the Ontario Regional Centre of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 1-866-673-4781 or online.
• Contact your health care provider if you develop flu-like symptoms and have had contact with a sick or dead bird or animal in the past 10 days. Symptoms of avian influenza can be similar to the seasonal flu, including fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, red eyes, and shortness of breath. Less common symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, and seizures.

While avian influenza has been detected in wild birds in every province and territory in Canada, there is currently only one human case of the virus that has been detected in Canada. 

For more information on avian influenza in humans and how to protect yourself, visit Southwestern Public Health’s website.

You can also learn more about urban wildlife in Woodstock at www.cityofwoodstock.ca/urbanwildlife.