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.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has announced the detection of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, in a Caroline County commercial broiler flock.

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

Outbreaks of bird flu have been detected at three poultry operations in Maryland and Delaware, putting the Washington, D.C., metro area on high alert as bird flu outbreaks have been increasing nationwide.