One commercial farm in Queen Anne’s County remains under quarantine for bird flu, Maryland officials said Wednesday; however, the rest of the state has no such restrictions.

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that affects poultry — including chickens, ducks and turkeys — as well as some wild bird species such as geese, shorebirds and raptors.

The Queen Anne’s County case, announced in December, marked the 10th detection of avian influenza in Maryland last year. Cases last year were confirmed in commercial and backyard flocks in Caroline, Queen Anne’s, Montgomery, Worcester, Dorchester and Anne Arundel counties.

State agriculture officials said the infected birds did not enter the food supply in last month’s incident and that the outbreak is considered contained. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to rate the public health risk as low, citing no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission.

Several conditions have to be met before Queen Anne’s quarantine area is fully lifted, including depopulation of the infected flock, capping of compost piles, completion of initial virus elimination steps and surveillance testing of commercial and backyard flocks.

State officials cautioned that the absence of active quarantine areas statewide does not mean the threat has passed, particularly during the migratory season.

“Currently, there are no active control areas on Delmarva; however, this does not mean the threat of HPAI is not present,” the Maryland Department of Agriculture said in its statement. “Maintaining strong, consistent biosecurity practices remains essential.”

The virus spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure, and can move between flocks through contact with infected poultry, contaminated equipment or the clothing and shoes of caretakers.

Commercial poultry producers are urged to notify their integrator immediately if they notice signs of disease. Backyard flock owners who observe symptoms of highly pathogenic avian influenza should not move sick or dead birds off-site or take them to a lab for testing.

Unusual or sudden increases in illness or deaths should be reported to the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810.

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