Dead vultures found in Charles County preliminarily tested positive for bird flu last week, prompting county officials to warn the public not to handle dead or sick birds.
Charles County Emergency Services received a 911 call that two dead vultures were behind a shopping center in La Plata on Wednesday, officials said. The birds were sent to a state lab for testing. On Monday, Charles County officials recovered 13 additional dead vultures about a quarter mile from the La Plata shopping center. If confirmed to be the result of Avian influenza, the deaths will mark a return of the virus to the area following a January outbreak that killed birds at the Richmond Zoo and threatened poultry operations throughout parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.