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Dead vultures in Boonsboro area preliminarily positive for avian influenza
Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
Mon, September 29, 2025 at 8:20 AM PDT
4 min read
The Washington County Health Department is cautioning residents not to handle dead or sick birds after some dead vultures in a Boonsboro residential area were found to be “presumptively positive for avian influenza” according to preliminary test results.
A Sept. 27 statement from the health department says it will post the findings once health officials receive confirmation of the test results. The preliminary results were received Friday evening, Sept. 26.
“The risk to the public is LOW; however, you should not handle dead or sick birds,” the release states. “If you believe you have been in direct contact without PPE (i.e. gloves) with dead birds in this area, please reach out to the WCHD Division of Nursing at 240-313-3210.”
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In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first human death from severe avian influenza A(H5N1) when a Louisiana patient died.
“As with the case in Louisiana, most H5 bird flu infections are related to animal-to-human exposures,” the CDC said in a Jan. 6 statement.
People rarely contract bird flu and in most cases when it happens it is after “close, unprotected exposure (without wearing respiratory or eye protection) to birds or other animals infected with avian influenza A viruses,” according to online CDC information about how bird flu spreads.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website, there have been confirmed detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Charles and Anne Arundel counties in September. Both cases were detected in vultures.
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“Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and droppings. The virus can be spread from flock to flock, including flocks of wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, equipment, and the clothing and shoes of caretakers,” the release states.
The virus can affect poultry, including chickens, ducks and turkeys. It also can affect some wild bird species, including ducks, geese, shorebirds and raptors such as vultures.
Anyone encountering a dead wild bird should call the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at 1-877-463-6497. If you have a phone number outside of Maryland, call 410-349-8055.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are coordinating “collection and disposal efforts,” the release states.
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Commercial poultry producers who notice signs of the disease should follow protocols for notifying the company for which they grow poultry.
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Marylanders with backyard flocks and who notice any signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in their flock should contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture Animal Health team.
“Do not take dead or sick birds to a lab to be tested to move them off-site,” the release states.
The agriculture Animal Health team can be reached by emailing md.birdflu@maryland.gov or animalhealth.mda@maryland.gov or calling 410-841-5810. You will need to provide contact information, the size of the flock, location and concerns.
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Backyard flock owners are required to register their flocks with the state ag department to help protect the state’s poultry industries from diseases like HPAI, the release states.
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Precautions for waterfowl hunters
The county health department release notes that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources urges waterfowl hunters to take precautions to prevent the spread of avian influenza.
According to DNR’s fact sheet for hunters about avian influenza, the recommendations for hunters include:
- Do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead
- Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling game. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Always wear disposable gloves when handling or cleaning game and wash hands right after that.
- Dress game birds in the field. If that is not possible, clean them in a site away from poultry and other birds.
- Keep a separate pair of shoes to wear only in the game cleaning area. If this can’t be done, wear rubber footwear and clean and disinfect your shoes before entering or leaving the area.
- Use dedicated tools for cleaning game. Don’t use those tools around poultry or pet birds.
More recommendations can be found at DNR’s website.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Preliminary avian flu tests in Western Maryland positive in vultures
US poultry losses to avian flu since 2022 tops 275 million
New H5N1 Bird Flu Virus Genotype Found In US Cows In Second Spillover Event
16.9K Followers
Story by Laura Simmons
• 7mo •
3 min read
The D1.1 genotype of the virus was also the one associated with the only human death from H5N1 in the USA to date. – Image credit: Aleksandar Malivuk/Shutterstock.com© IFL Science
Avian flu first made the jump from birds into dairy cows on farms in a number of US states in spring 2024. Until now, all such cases of the H5N1 virus have been ascribed to a genotype called B3.13, but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just announced the detection of a second genotype, D1.1, in milk samples.
“This is the first detection of this virus genotype in dairy cattle,” confirmed the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in a statement. “Genotype D1.1 represents the predominant genotype in the North American flyways this past fall and winter and has been identified in wild birds, mammals, and spillovers into domestic poultry.”
The detection was confirmed on January 31 in milk samples collected in Nevada as part of the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS). This is part of the agency’s surveillance measures as it tracks the ongoing H5N1 situation on farms across the country. At the time of writing, 38 states were enrolled in the program. A positive detection of the virus is one step on a five-stage roadmap produced by APHIS to help states work towards elimination of the virus from their dairy herds.
As reported by the University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP, Nevada cows first tested positive for H5N1 in December 2024. State officials leveled some of the blame at a “nuisance population” of non-native European starlings across three counties, including Churchill County where the affected cattle were. These migratory birds can spread infection and have also been seen to outcompete native birds for nesting sites, so state and federal officials have begun enacting plans to remove them.
That H5N1 would continue to be a major story in 2025 was predicted by many, and close surveillance and monitoring will continue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at time of writing there have been 67 confirmed human cases of the infection in the US during this outbreak and one death – that case, in Louisiana, was also put down to the D1.1 genotype.
Speaking to CIDRAP about the latest spillover event, epidemiologist Michael Osterholm said, “We shouldn’t be surprised about a new spillover to cattle, given the very significant activity in waterfowl across much of the United States.”
Experts have continued to stress that the risk to the general public remains low. Dr Robert Murphy, executive director of the Robert J. Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University, recently told IFLScience, “You don’t really have to worry today unless you have a chicken farm or raise cattle.”
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But Murphy also said that viral spread between humans – something we haven’t seen so far – is most likely on the cards: “It’s basically one or two mutations away.”
The situation is fast-moving, which is why programs like the NMTS are so important for detecting these spillover events and helping keep tabs on how the virus is mutating. It’s also why clear, uninterrupted communication of scientific information to the public is so vital – perhaps now more than ever.
[H/T: CIDRAP]
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