MARYLAND - Bird flu has now reached Maryland’s Eastern Shore, prompting concerns among poultry growers and bird owners. The Maryland Department of Agriculture confirmed that birds in three counties tested positive for the virus over the past week.
Snow geese in Dorchester and Worcester counties have recently tested positive for the virus, and Friday morning, cases were detected at a commercial poultry plant in Caroline County.
Bird owners are being urged to take precautions to prevent further spread.
“I also encourage all backyard flocks to keep their birds in at this time because they are just as susceptible as we are,” said Mary Lou Brown, owner of Maple Breeze Farm in Hurlock.
The bird flu spreads easily through nasal and eye secretions, manure, and by contact with contaminated surfaces, equipment, or clothing. Wild birds are also a significant factor in transmission.
“With that flyway being open, when we have those positive snow geese on the shore and the positive snow geese that they had in Delaware, we know that it’s being brought in with those wild birds,” said Jennifer Trout, a veterinarian with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Poultry growers like Brown are taking every precaution to protect their flocks.
“For one, I have a dedicated truck for the farm that only goes on the farm except to get fuel,” Brown explained.
She also uses dedicated footwear, disinfecting her boots with chlorine bleach powder and wearing them only on the farm.
“Secondly, we will only have personnel on the farm that need to be here. We will not have any outside people on the farm at all,” Brown added.
The virus poses a serious threat to poultry, as it often leads to the death of infected birds, devastating farmers’ livelihoods.
“For poultry, it’s dangerous because a lot of those birds flat out die,” Trout said.
The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County also reported snow geese testing positive for bird flu. The Maryland Department of Agriculture assured the public that sick birds will not enter the food chain.
