MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Preliminary testing confirms a case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in a Montgomery County backyard flock.
Maryland Department of Agriculture officials have quarantined the affected areas. Birds on the properties are being or have been depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.
SEE MORE: Egg supply issues and increasing costs: how Avian Flu affects local bakeries
The avian influenza, otherwise known as the bird flu, is highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure.
This virus affects chickens, ducks and turkeys along with some wild bird species such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.
RELATED: Bird flu cases confirmed on Eastern Shore
Earlier this year, seven dead snow geese on the Eastern Shore were found to have the new H5N1 bird flu virus, confirmed the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The geese were found in Worcester and Dorchester counties. The bird flu was also just detected in Caroline County, following a routine sampling of a broiler operation.
For more information on avian influenza, click here.
