County, city working together on signage, responding to reports   Local officials are encouraging the public to be cautious around deceased birds in the area that might have been infected by avian influenza.  This week, after finding an unusual sight, an Austin resident shared a photo with Cedar R iver Watershed District of two adult geese deceased next to each other along the Cedar River’s shoreline at Austin Mill Pond. CRWD alerted Mower County Public Health and the Austin Parks & Recreation Department. Reports of groups of dead birds or animals in Mower County should be made to county public health at 507-437-9701. “While the risk continues to remain low to the public, surveillance of infectious agents, such as avian influenza, is a foundational duty of public health to keep our community safe and healthy,” said Sally Garry, Community Health supervisor for Mower County Health & Human Services.  The county’s public health staff have been monitoring bird flu since mid-summer last year. In January, Mower County’s community health educator Allison Scott presented to the county board about the prevalence of avian influenza in the region. County public health has worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; the Minnesota Department of Health; the Minnesota Board of Animal Health; wildlife veterinarians; and community organizations.  This spring, the county and city plan to post “Health Alert” signs in Austin and greater Mower County related to bird flu at locations with a high presence of wild waterfowl. Signage advises against touching a dead bird and provides contact information for reporting possible cases of bird flu. Other actions taken by county staff in response to avian flu have included:   Developing educational campaigns about public health issues and trends promoted weekly on Mower County’s Health and Human Services’ Facebook page.   Creating a monitoring system with key community organizations that, when necessary, reports to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.   Mower County Public Health has produced “response kits” that have all the recommended personal protective equipment to safely remove deceased waterfowl from highly used areas in local parks. The post Public warned about possible avian flu locally appeared first on Austin Daily Herald. ...read more read less