State officials are on high alert after detecting a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) case at a commercial broiler operation in Maryland, marking the first incident in the state since 2023 and the third in the Delmarva region this month.

Maryland agriculture officials have confirmed a case of bird flu at a commercial poultry operation in Caroline County. This is the first case linked to a poultry operation in Maryland and follows two cases reported in Delaware.

Maryland has recorded its first case of bird flu in more than a year, after the virus was confirmed at a Caroline County farm through “routine sampling of a broiler operation," the Maryland Department of Agriculture said Friday.