Maryland鈥檚 getting more than $650,000 from the federal government in a plan to prevent disease in wildlife. The effort could also benefit the state鈥檚 critical poultry industry, its consumers and public health.
This week, members of Maryland鈥檚 Congressional delegation 鈥� U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with House members Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey, announced that the funding would go to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to prevent the spread of wildlife diseases, including avian flu.
“The work is important,” said Dr. Nathaniel Tablante, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Maryland, College Park.聽Avian flu can 鈥渏ump鈥� from birds to mammals, he added.
鈥淭here is a potential for these types of viruses to infect humans, that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e being very careful,鈥� said Tablante.
According to the latest report on avian flu nationwide, in May, 837 flocks were affected by the latest outbreak, with 511 being backyard poultry operations. The rest were commercial outlets. Tablante said that meant a total of more than 58 million birds were affected nationally.
The avian flu outbreak that began in 2021 resulted in massive culling of flocks that caused a spike in prices for poultry and eggs. 鈥淚t has subsided a little bit. That鈥檚 why you鈥檙e seeing a kind of a stabilization in the prices of eggs,鈥� said Tablante.
Wild birds, specifically waterfowl (think ducks and geese), are 鈥渞eservoirs鈥� for avian flu said Tablante, and it can be transmitted through their feces.
And that, he said, 鈥渃reates a problem for backyard flocks, because they鈥檙e mostly out in the open air, free range鈥� where they can come into contact with feces infected avian flu. 鈥淎s opposed to commercial poultry that are enclosed and protected鈥� by being indoors.
鈥淢aryland has been lucky,鈥� said Tablante. 鈥淚 mean, we have not seen outbreaks in our broiler chickens on the Delmarva Peninsula,鈥� he said, while two egg-laying producers were affected.
In past outbreaks, the spread from wild bird populations to domestic poultry came through 鈥渓ateral鈥� transmission: a hunter or farmer walking through a field might step on waterfowl feces, then head to their farm without changing their shoes, said Tablante.
That鈥檚 why a large part of Tablante鈥檚 job is educating poultry producers on 鈥渂iosecurity measures,鈥� including things like washing down farm equipment 鈥� including their vehicles, and wearing personal protective equipment.
With the addition of federal funds just announced, Maryland鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources will form a working group to tackle wildlife disease management and partner with the University of Maryland to prevent and develop responses to future outbreaks.
