Bird flu has been detected in three different commercial poultry flocks in Maryland over the past week, marking the state's first outbreak in more than a year. The findings come shortly after the state established a joint command with the state of Delaware after the H5N1 virus was detected at two other poultry farms.

While the deadly bird flu has been circulating in North America since 2022, the past few months have been particularly brutal for the poultry industry. More than 20 million egg-laying hens died in the autumn, the worst mortality rate since the outbreak began, and egg prices rose as a result.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 134 million birds in the commercial poultry industry have been affected by the U.S. outbreak so far.

The USDA is establishing a stockpile of new H5N1 vaccines for poultry but has no plans to use it yet, Eric Deeble, USDA's undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, told reporters Thursday.

Officials say the outbreak demonstrates the need for greater vigilance around animals and the people who come into contact with them.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in a health alert Thursday that hospitals should test all flu-positive patients within 24 hours, especially those in intensive care units, to expedite contact tracing and public health investigations.

Cooperation between states and localities is important in responding to cross-border outbreaks—and such existing relationships may play an even greater role in the incoming Trump administration amid uncertainty about the leadership of state agencies.

In Delmarva, a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean that encompasses all of Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia, raising chickens is big business — $44 worth last year, to be exact. billion dollars.

The region is the nation's leading broiler chicken producer, raising 601 million chickens annually, accounting for approximately 6.5% of the nation's poultry supply. The rural area is dotted with rows of long, low chicken coops, each temporarily home to thousands of birds.

The first warning that bird flu was returning to Delmarva came from wastewater. During the week of December 7, routine testing of wastewater from a Delaware poultry processing center near Georgetown identified H5 avian influenza.

Then, routine surveillance of positive influenza A cases identified a suspected case in a person who had not been exposed to animals.

Next up are the snow geese.

Alex Turner, national events coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said migratory birds, which fly along the Atlantic flyway from the Arctic to the Caribbean every year, started later than usual this year due to unseasonably warm temperatures in the north. . , said Thursday. He said this meant more cases were likely to be seen among commercial and free-range poultry as the migration season was still winding down.

Beginning in late December, 40 to 50 snow geese were found sick or dead on Prime Hook Beach, which borders the National Wildlife Refuge, which contains 10,000 acres of marshland that edge the Delaware coastline into the sea. .

In early January, seven snow geese were also spotted near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's eastern shore. In both cases, the geese tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus was then detected in chickens.

It began in Kent County, Delaware, first in one flock on January 3 and then in another flock on January 9 after officials began conducting inspections in the surrounding area.

Once the first infections were detected in wild birds, Delaware and Maryland established a command center to track the outbreak and conduct follow-up sampling in affected areas in both states.

"We do not consider any state lines in our proactive response," said Stacey Huffman, spokesperson for the Delaware-Maryland Joint Avian Influenza Information Center. When a suspected case occurs, our multi-state response team is already communicating and working hard.”

Maryland soon discovered cases at broiler chicken farms in neighboring counties: first in Caroline County on January 10, then in Queen Anne’s County on January 14, and again in Caroline County on January 15 case.

"Every commercial chicken flock in Delaware and Maryland is tested for avian influenza before entering processing," Huffman said. "There are no exceptions."

Producers and backyard flock owners can also report sick or dead birds to the state Department of Agriculture, she said, adding that because the "poultry industry is extremely important to our economy," they have been "preparing to respond to highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)” Be Prepared. influenza) for many years”.

When a USDA national laboratory confirms a suspected case of avian influenza, the birds in the infected flock will be culled to prevent further spread of the virus.

This reaction is not limited to birds. Chase Cook, communications director for the Maryland Department of Health, said that while the state agriculture department is "focused on the farm," the health department "provides guidance to those agencies and communicates it to workers."

The guidance could include what types of preventive gear to wear around infected birds, such as goggles and respirators, and what symptoms of potential infection in humans to watch for.

Since March 2024, there have been 67 confirmed and seven suspected cases of H5N1 in the United States, as well as additional cases later discovered through blood testing. Of the three confirmed cases, there was no known contact with animals.

At least 23 people have contracted avian influenza from commercial poultry farms, and one person in Louisiana became ill after coming into contact with backyard chickens and wild birds.

A patient in Louisiana died this month from the H5N1 variant circulating in birds. The same strain caused severe illness in a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia, Canada.

Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said speeding up testing of hospitalized patients in places like Louisiana and Canada should help reveal how they became sick and whether the virus is changing.

"The system is now telling us what has happened," Shah said Thursday. "What we need is to move to a system that tells us what's going on right now."