The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received $665,000 to control the spread of wildlife diseases, including the avian flu.
The money comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Zoonotic Disease Initiative grant program and was announced by Maryland’s federal legislators, including Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Jamie Raskin, David Trone, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Dutch Ruppersberger, Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey, who are all Democrats.
DNR intends to form a working group for wildlife disease management that will at first focus on the spread of avian flu at poultry farms on the Delmarva Peninsula. Hundreds of thousands of chickens have died during a spread in that region.
DNR will partner with the University of Maryland to increase surveillance of animal species in the Chesapeake Bay region considered to be highly susceptible to zoonotic diseases, according to a news release.
“Diseases like avian flu pose a huge risk to farmers, fisheries, and our economy and food supply. That’s why we fought to secure this federal funding to support our farmers and all those who count on the bounty of the Bay region by helping control and prevent the spread of wildlife disease before it takes a toll on the health of our poultry, livestock, and economy,” the legislators said in the release.
Avian flu outbreaks have occurred in Cecil and Queen Anne’s counties previously. Outbreaks also have taken place throughout the United States.
