AUGUSTA – The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is opening its seasonal Dead Bird Reporting Line for the public.

“We are once again encouraging people to call 1-888-697-5846 to report dead birds this summer and fall,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the center.

People calling the line will either talk with a live person or hear a voice mail with the ability to leave a message. All reports of dead birds, whether tested or not, will be recorded and will assist the center in tracking the spread of some diseases. Some of the reported dead birds will be collected for testing.

If the center is interested in testing a reported dead bird, the caller may be asked to deliver the dead bird to a depot, such as a nearby veterinary clinic, from which the bird will be transported by courier to the center’s laboratory.

It is important dead birds are handled properly, for instance, not handled with bare hands. Further instructions are available from the Dead Bird Reporting Line or from www.MainePublicHealth.gov or www.MaineFlu.Gov.

Operating seasonally since 2000, the Dead Bird Reporting Line has been used to track the spread of some disease threats that can be carried by birds. “Since 2001 we have detected West Nile Virus in birds that have been reported through the Dead Bird Line, including 22 birds in 2005” explained Dr. Mills. “In 2005 we also detected Eastern Equine Encephalitis in a dozen birds reported to us from York and Cumberland Counties”.

Both West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis can be carried to geographical areas by infected birds, then transmitted to people through mosquito bites. “Knowing the level of these disease threats in Maine through the reporting and testing of dead birds helps us to inform the public about such as issues as the importance of avoiding getting bitten by mosquitoes,” further explained Dr. Mills.

The Dead Bird Line may also be used to address Avian Influenza, or bird flu. People with concerns about bird flu can use the Dead Bird Reporting Line for a referral to specific resources such as from the Maine Departments of Agriculture or Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

It is also possible that eventually dead birds reported may be tested for Avian Influenza. Although the H5N1 strain that is currently circulating among birds in other parts of the world has not been detected in North America yet, it may be detected here sometime in the future. In that situation, the Dead Bird Reporting Line may be used to assist in the tracking and testing of Avian Influenza.

“We appreciate Mainers helping us to report dead birds. By working together, we can help all Mainers enjoy a healthy summer,” concluded Dr. Mills.

For more information: www.MainePublicHealth.gov or www.MaineFlu.Gov.