Local agriculture officials closely monitoring bird flu infections in cattle, humans in other states

DELMARVA – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, is a threat that poultry farmers keep in mind every day. And, with the migration of wild birds, those numbers can go up.

Highly Contagious, Dangerously Deadly

Nationally, more than 90 million cases of bird flu have been reported since 2022. 48 states have been affected, with 1,134 outbreaks in that period.

“It’s a very contagious disease; it’s airborne, and it doesn’t take much of the virus to cause a lot of damage,” said Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), Steve Connelly. “Over 95% of the birds will die pretty quickly if you have a flock that’s infected.”

In Maryland, Connelly says six commercial operations have been impacted by bird flu since February 2022, along with two backyard flocks. MDA officials make it a priority to do all they can to prevent the spread of the virus, he says.

“When they move them off the farm to the processing plant, all flocks are tested within a week, before they move, to make sure that they’re [avian influenza] free,” Connelly said. And when more chickens are dying than normal at a facility, “We’ll bring them in, do necropsies, and test those birds to make sure that they aren’t positive [for bird flu].”

Beefing Up Biosecurity

Biosecurity is top of mind for farmers in normal circumstances. However, Connelly says, that message is especially important as bird flu continues to spread. At commercial operations, farmers and workers do their part by changing and sanitizing their footwear and clothing any time they move between chicken houses.

“Try to not be going to other farms, and also, limit the visitors that come into your farm,” Connelly said. “And, if you have sick birds, report them to the Maryland Department of Agriculture.”

For farmers who do lose birds to the highly-deadly virus, the USDA does have an indemnity program for losses of chickens and eggs. “It never makes anybody whole, but it does assist in helping that operation deal with recovery,” Connelly said.

At-Home Flocks Also at Risk

Backyard flocks are also at risk for becoming infected with bird flu. Connelly says they’ve become much more common since the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of people are now, because of some of the supply chain breakdown, deciding to grow their own eggs and meat chickens in their backyards,” he said.

However, it’s the birds’ proximity to their wild counterparts that puts them in danger. Connelly says bald eagles and black vultures tend to be especially big carriers of bird flu. At-home chicken tenders should do all they can to prevent their animals from interacting with wild birds.

“Especially in black vultures, it’s been a problem. And, they tend to congregate in large numbers,” Connelly said. “So, if you can keep them away from your poultry, that would be a great benefit. Try to scare them away.”

Cattle, Humans Infected in Other States

Recently, the virus’ spread took an unexpected, and new direction. Since the end of March 2024, cattle in nine states have been infected with bird flu, along with two humans.

In response, MDA officials quickly placed restrictions on the importation of cattle from other states. Livestock and poultry moving into Maryland have always required a positive certificate of veterinary inspection.

Now, the MDA is also requiring negative bird flu tests for cattle within seven days of the movement. That order has since been amended to specifically target lactating dairy cows.

“The surveillance and testing they’ve done, it’s really with lactating dairy cattle and not with heifers, or bull calves or dry cows,” Connelly said, adding that no cattle have been affected by bird flu in Maryland, so far.

Local Poultry Community “Intrigued and Dismayed” at Development

Meanwhile, Holly Porter, Executive Director of the Delmarva Chicken Association (DCA), says the local poultry community is intrigued and a bit dismayed at the virus’ development.

“It really puts a lot of pressure back to the USDA and their scientists to try to understand better high-path avian influenza, and how it may be transmitted,” Porter said.

However, Porter says, the local poultry community is already well-informed on how to expertly maintain biosecurity on farms. The DCA is also working alongside farmers to closely follow USDA guidance.

“Especially if we have farmers that have diversified farms, that they have other animals on the farm, too, it’s really stepping up that biosecurity,” Porter said. “Fortunately, our chicken community has been working biosecurity for many years. We understand it, and we’ve been working really hard on it.”

Calling For Support, Waiting For Answers

The DCA is also sending out an urgent signal in support of the farmers who often operate on razor margins. The FDA and CDC are now involved in testing retail milk samples, to confirm their safety for consumption.

“There’s very little concern for the public health aspect,” Porter said. “We need to remember that the chicken we buy in the grocery store, the milk that we’re buying in the grocery store, are still extremely safe products.”

Right now, Porter says the best thing that local poultry farmers and chicken owners can do, is trust the experts, and keep biosecurity a priority on their properties.

“It’s really going to be allowing the researchers to do their work. The USDA has been really good about making sure they’re coming up with guidance,” said Porter. “We’re just going to make sure that we keep our chicken community informed of that guidance, no matter if it’s specific to chickens, or if it’s specific to high-path avian influenza in other animals.”