WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced a presumptive positive case of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, at a commercial broiler farm in Wicomico County today.
State officials say they have quarantined all affected areas and the birds are being euthanized to prevent the spread. They say birds from the affected flock will not enter the food system.
The MDA says this is the first case on a commercial poultry farm in Wicomico County and the second case in Maryland this year.
They say confirmation is pending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory, and final results will be released in the upcoming days.
Bird flu is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily to birds through nasal and eye secretions, and manure. The virus can be spread through wild birds, contact with infected poultry, by equipment, on the clothing or shoes of caretakers.
The illness affects chickens, ducks, and turkeys, along with some wild bird species like ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.
The MDA says the following are key biosecurity practices to prevent the spread of bird flu:
- 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 wildfowl, 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.
Maryland poultry owners who notice the signs of avian influenza in their flocks are asked to call the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5810.