(ABC 6 News)- Bird flu or avian influenza, it’s a disease that mainly affects birds, but can actually infect humans if they are exposed.

In Austin, a sign of bird flu is in the spotlight with the Mower County Public Health Department.

“We have had a few people in the community discover some dead waterfowl,” said Pam Kellogg, public health manager at Mower County Public Health and Human Services.

These two dead geese immediately looked unusual on Cedar River’s shoreline near the Austin Mill Pond.

“They were found and there was no obvious reason for them to be dead and so they reported it to public health to see what they could do to clean up the situation,” Kellogg said.

Now the race to educate people on what to be on the lookout for is on, to make sure bird flu does not spread to Mower County.

“They’re going to have an unusual stance to them, where there necks are curved to the side. Just weaker too. Probably having difficulty flying,” said Kellogg.

The Cedar River Watershed District claims it has never been sent anything in relation to the disease.

“We do what we do with other things, we pass it along to the right agency, and just been continuing to work with public health on this issue of avian bird flu,” said Tim Ruzek, Water Planet Outreach Coordinator for the Cedar River Watershed District.

But now they join MCPH to spread awareness.

“The biggest thing is if you discover any dead birds, to not approach it, or pick it up,” Kellogg said.

These geese have not been tested for bird flu yet so their cause of death is still unknown. But the county health department will put signs out by the river, urging people to call if they see anything suspicious again.