Ducks turning up dead at Myrtle Beach apartment complex
Some apartment residents in Myrtle Beach have noticed Muscovy ducks have been turning up dead on the property.
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Several residents contacted the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources after people noticed the Muscovy ducks dead in and around the ponds on the property.
One resident says she has lived there for two years and has never seen anything like this before. She believes it could be the avian flu.
”After talking to the Department of Agriculture ... and the fact that it’s only the Muscovy ducks it does seem like the avian flu,” said Heather Perris Thomas, who lives at the Ivystone. “My concern is that they told us that it’s contagious to humans.”
DNR visited the complex and observed the deceased ducks, which they said are not native to South Carolina and do not fall under their authority. DNR did not determine what caused the deaths.
The bird flu has killed at least three bald eagles in the state and resulted in the euthanasia of thousands of chickens and turkeys. Officials told WRAL News the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is considered low risk to people and that there are no reports of this strain infecting a person.
People who own or look after birds are encouraged to provide good hand hygiene and watch for signs of disease, including:
- Reduced energy, decreased appetite, and/or decreased activity
- Lower egg production and/or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
- Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb and wattles
- Purple discoloration of the wattles, comb and legs
- Difficulty breathing, runny nares (nose), and/or sneezing
- Twisting of the head and neck, stumbling, falling down, tremors and/or circling
- Greenish diarrhea
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