ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Bird flu is back, sending shockwaves through the Chesapeake Bay region’s poultry industry and fueling concerns about wildfowl, as well as “spillover” infections in humans.
Suspected outbreaks have been detected at eight commercial poultry operations in the Bay watershed as of Jan. 24 — all but one on the Delmarva Peninsula. In every case, the findings arose from routine testing, and the chickens were culled to prevent them from entering the food supply.
Detections among wild birds have been more widespread regionally, sickening and killing snow geese, Canada geese and other waterfowl.
Since the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza began in 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed the virus in more than 1,300 poultry operations nationwide.
But birds haven’t been the only ones getting sick. The strain has moved into the dairy industry, turning up in nearly 1,000 cow herds across 17 states. And so far, there have been a total of 67 confirmed human cases nationwide, with one death.
Despite evidence of a crossover into the human population, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the human health risk to be low.
The latest flare-up in the Bay region appears to be tied to the arrival of birds migrating south for the winter along the Atlantic Flyway, said Dr. Jennifer Trout, Maryland’s state veterinarian.
“It seemed like once the flyway got going, everything followed suit,” Trout said. Wild birds are suspected of helping spread the disease to domestic poultry flocks and livestock herds.
The first detected cases in the current Mid-Atlantic wave were in Delaware. Authorities reported 850 dead wild birds, mostly snow geese, on Prime Hook Beach in coastal Sussex County on Dec. 27.
Then came evidence suggesting the disease had moved into the commercial farming sector. Preliminary positive tests announced Jan. 3 for a meat-chicken operation with 125,000 birds in Delaware’s Kent County raised alarms for the Delmarva Peninsula’s $5 billion chicken industry. A second case was reported in the county on Jan. 9.
The first case involving a commercial poultry operation in Maryland was made public on Jan. 10 – this time in Caroline County, also on the Eastern Shore. Since then, four more poultry farms have tested positive on Delmarva, one each in Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Dorchester counties in Maryland and one in Accomack County, VA.
“This situation since early January is certainly novel for Delmarva chicken growers,” said James Fisher, spokesman for the Delmarva Chicken Association, an industry trade group. “There hasn’t been a month where we’ve had seven cases where we’re at. That’s concerning.”
Pennyslvania’s first case involving domestic poultry in the most recent outbreak was reported Jan. 27. Tests indicated that a 50,000-bird flock at a Lehigh County farm included positive cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
In addition to monitoring the disease in farm flocks and herds, the USDA’s animal and plant health service also tracks the virus in wild birds and animals.
Nationwide, the USDA service has logged reports of 11,000 infected birds, some in every state, from 2022 through 2024. In the Bay watershed, there have been about 50 reports of dead waterfowl and other wild birds in Maryland, about 100 in Virginia and about 140 in Pennsylvania. Those infected include bald eagles, peregrine falcons, vultures and crows.
The federal inspection service also has received a smaller number of reports of avian flu deaths in land mammals, including red foxes in Huntingdon County, PA, south of State College, and a bobcat near Binghamton, NY.
The virus has not been considered a critical threat to wild bird or animal populations — though the number of virus-infected wild bird deaths seems to have increased lately, wildlife managers report.
The onset of harsh winter weather in the region may be exacerbating the effects of the illness, suggested Josh Homyack, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The agency conducts an aerial survey every winter of migratory waterfowl. Officials haven’t finished analyzing the data from the latest survey, Homyack said. If anything, though, he said he expected the that waterfowl counts might be higher than the last couple winters.
“Usually, in cold winters like this, our numbers are higher,” he said, explaining that the low temperatures often prompt geese, ducks and swans to fly farther south to places such as the Delmarva Peninsula and North Carolina.
A discovery of seven dead snow geese in Dorchester and Worcester counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in early January prompted the state to expand efforts to respond to calls about dead wildlife at least back to September.
In one of the most high-profile cases to date in the region, the Metro Richmond Zoo reported Jan. 20 that two cranes had tested positive and died. The cranes didn’t live in an aviary that was open to the public, officials said.
Avian influenza has hit wild waterfowl particularly hard in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported Jan. 2 that about 200 snow geese had been found dead at two sites near Allentown.
Thousands more dead snow geese were discovered in the same locations soon after, according to Travis Lau, the commission’s communications director. Game commission crews proceeded to shoot about 450 other birds that were showing signs of the illness. All the dead and ill birds were removed, Lau noted.
“We’re not sure how effective that type of removal might be,” he added, but officials decided to try it in hopes of reducing the virus in what he described as the “two hottest spots that we know of.”
Sick and dead birds and animals have turned up in much smaller numbers elsewhere in Pennsylvania. The discovery of several dead Canada geese at a pond at Gettysburg College prompted the school to close the area to the public.
Wildlife officials say hunting wild birds is still safe, though they caution against taking sick birds or handling any found dead. Even when harvesting seemingly healthy birds, authorities recommend using disposable gloves when handling them or thoroughly washing or sanitizing hands afterward. They also suggest keeping clothing, boots and tools used for cleaning game away from any domestic poultry or pet birds.
Waterfowl harvested for consumption should be cooked to at least 165 degrees to kill any viruses or bacteria. Authorities also say it’s safe for homeowners to keep filling bird feeders through the winter because songbirds are thought to be at low risk of getting or spreading the virus.
While flu warnings have extended to dairy cattle as well, authorities maintain that pasteurized milk remains safe to consume.
Make birds weark masks ASAP!