Maryland confirms highly pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wicomico County

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — Maryland officials say a commercial poultry farm in Wicomico County has tested presumptively positive for highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza, marking the first case in the county this year and the second in the state.

Wicomico County Executive said the affected farmer lost about 80,000 chickens. “It’s 13 weeks, and these are just facts. It’s 13 weeks without birds, so we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars that they are out,” she said.

The said all birds on the affected farm have been or are being depopulated, and the premises have been quarantined to prevent the virus from spreading. The birds will not enter the food supply. Final confirmation from the is expected in the coming days.

Maryland State Veterinarian Jennifer Trout said the facility is now undergoing disinfection and disposal. “The whole facility will get cleaned, everything will get composted. It’ll get tested again to make sure there’s no avian influenza in the environment,” she said.

The process takes about 60 days because of how contagious bird flu can be.

Avian influenza is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily among birds through respiratory secretions and feces. Wild birds, infected poultry, contaminated equipment and even clothing and footwear of farmworkers can carry the virus between flocks. “It’s important for people to understand that you can have absolute minuscule amounts of viral particles — like the top of this pencil, for argument’s sake — and the amount of viral load that’s on the top of a pencil could kill about a million birds in a second. A million birds,” Trout said.

Giordano said bird flu is especially concerning in the county because of issues with geese. “We talked to Congressman Andy Harris last year about having some sort of goose control because of this very situation. And so here it’s hit kind of close to home. So actually, I plan to revisit talking to him. Geese are federally protected, which makes it very difficult,” she said.

The said the risk to the general public is low, but farmworkers and others in close contact with poultry should follow strict biosecurity measures. Authorities are urging commercial growers and backyard flock owners to monitor for signs of illness and follow enhanced precautions.

Wicomico County, known for chicken farming through companies such as and local producers, relies heavily on agriculture.

“It’s a livelihood situation, and we have people that it’s costing,” Giordano said. “Like I said, hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s their livelihood, so I think that there does need to be a revisiting of what those regulations look like at the federal level for geese.”

Key recommendations include minimizing visitors, cleaning and disinfecting equipment, removing spilled feed, using protective clothing and washing hands before and after contact with birds. Anyone who suspects an infected flock can report it to the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5810 or email MD.Birdflu@maryland.gov. Sick wild birds should be reported to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Services hotline at 877-463-6497.

For more guidance on preventing the spread of avian influenza, the offers detailed resources for poultry owners.