ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 20, 2022
A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected for the first time in Maine, federal officials said Sunday. State officials quarantined the property in Knox County and the backyard flock will be eliminated to prevent the spread of the disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The virus is often spread to domestic poultry by infected wild birds. Bird owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state or federal officials.