CAROLINE CO., MD - The Maryland Department of Agriculture has announced the presumptive detection of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, in a Caroline County commercial broiler flock.
This is Maryland’s first case of H5N1 in a commercial flock since 2023, according to the Department of Agriculture, and the third detection in the Delmarva region in the last 30 days. On January 3, the Delaware Department of Agriculture announced the recent detection of bird flu on a Kent County farm.
Maryland officials say the affected commercial property has been quarantined and the flock has been euthanized to prevent the spread of the virus.
“High Pathogenic Avian influenza or HPAI does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain healthy and safe to eat and handle,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “The Maryland Department of Agriculture, local health department, USDA and partner organizations are working diligently to address the situation, including quarantining and testing nearby flocks. We continue to urge commercial growers and backyard flock owners to be on heightened alert for HPAI.”
The announcement of the infected flock comes on the heels of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources preliminarily confirming bird flu in dead snow geese in Worcester and Dorchester counties on January 10.
The Department of Agriculture offers the following biosecurity practices for those who maintain both backyard and commercial flocks:
-Clean and disinfect transportation. Don’t walk through or drive trucks, tractors, or equipment in areas where waterfowl or other wildlife feces may be. If you can’t avoid this, clean your shoes, vehicle, and equipment thoroughly to prevent bringing disease agents back to your flock. This is especially important when visiting with farmers or those who hunt wild fowl such as when gathering at a local coffee shop, restaurant, or gas station.
-Remove loose feed. Don’t give wild birds, rodents, and insects a free lunch. Remove spilled or uneaten feed right away, and make sure feed storage units are secure and free of holes. Wild birds can carry HPAI.
-Keep visitors to a minimum. Only allow those people who take care of your poultry to come in contact with your birds, including family and friends. Make sure everyone who has contact with your flock follows biosecurity principles.
-Wash your hands before and after coming in contact with live poultry. Wash with soap and water. If using a hand sanitizer, first remove manure, feathers, and other materials from your hands because disinfectants will not penetrate organic matter or caked-on dirt.
-Provide disposable boot covers (preferred) and/or disinfectant footbaths for anyone having contact with your flock. If using a footbath, be sure to remove all droppings, mud or debris from boots and shoes using a long-handled scrub brush BEFORE stepping into the disinfectant footbath, and always keep it clean.
-Change clothes before entering poultry areas and before exiting the property.
Visitors should wear protective outer garments or disposable coveralls, boots, and headgear when handling birds, and shower and/or change clothes when leaving the facility.
-Clean and disinfect tools or equipment before moving them to a new poultry facility. Before allowing vehicles, trucks, tractors, or tools and equipment—including egg flats and cases that have come in contact with birds or their droppings—to exit the property, make sure they are cleaned and disinfected to prevent contaminated equipment from transporting disease. Do not move or reuse items that cannot be cleaned and disinfected—such as cardboard egg flats.
