(CNN) — The primary cause for hundreds of recent dolphin deaths along the East Coast is likely a virus, and there’s no way to stop its spread right now, federal officials say.
The virus, the cetacean morbillivirus, is similar to measles in humans or canine distemper in dogs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
After consulting with disease experts and conducting tests from five affected states, NOAA found that 32 dolphins were either “suspect or confirmed positive for mobillivirus.”
