The Maryland Department of Agriculture on Friday said it detected bird flu at a commercial broiler in Caroline County through routine sampling.

This is the first case of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in a commercial poultry operation in Maryland since 2023, according to the MDA, and it follows positive cases of bird flu in two commercial flocks in neighboring Kent County in Delaware in the last month.

Birds from the affected flocks will not enter the food system, and state officials quarantined the affected properties and killed the birds to stop the spread of the disease, according to the MDA.

“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.

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Avian influenza, or bird flu, “is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure,” according to the state agriculture department.

MDA officials said the risk of transmission between birds and the general public is low. There have been more than 60 reported human cases of bird flu in the United States — though none in Maryland — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Detection of H5N1 at the commercial facility comes as officials on Thursday also confirmed bird flu in wild snow geese on the Eastern Shore in Dorchester and Worcester counties.

As a result of positive tests of the virus, the MDA urged all poultry farmers to be vigilant and practice enhanced biosecurity on their farms, including: cleaning and disinfecting transportation; avoiding walking through areas that have wildlife feces; and making sure not to give wild birds, rodents and insects a free lunch with loose feed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory will release their final results in the coming days.