Maryland's second case of the H5N1 bird flu has been detected at a poultry farm in Queen Anne's County, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Maryland may be known for crabs, but it is also a major producer of broiler chickens and dairy products. So a recent spate of bird flu cases have public health officials on alert and watching for the impact on these multibillion dollar industries, as well as the health of the animals — and people.

A case of the avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, was confirmed in Caroline County, and it marks the first case at one of Maryland’s commercial poultry facilities since 2023.

Concern rises after positive cases found in wild birds and poultry in Delaware’s Kent County and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

State laboratory testing detected H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu, at a poultry farm in Caroline County, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The case, the first at a Maryland commercial poultry operation since 2023,

The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, continues to spread on Delmarva with Queen Anne’s becoming the latest county to detect the virus.