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BDN file | BDN
Two gray seals swim near the shore of Duck Island on the island of Shoals, on the border between Maine and New Hampshire.
The Associated Press •
The researchers say that an outbreak of distemper is at the origin of seal death in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the main pathogen found in seals was the phocine virus distemper. The agency said bird flu was also suspected based on early findings, but the new test results do not designate it as a major cause.
At the end of August, NOAA stated that seal death was an "unusual event of mortality".
In all, since July, more than 660 dead seals have stranded on the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts shorelines.
There is no danger to humans because the virus that causes disease in seals is not contagious, but the virus can affect pets.
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