The highly contagious bird flu has hit Montgomery County, Maryland, where officials say a backyard flock of chickens tested positive for the virus, making it the first case of a homeowner’s birds having the virus in Maryland this year and bringing the number of cases in the D.

Bird flu has been detected in a backyard poultry flock in San Mateo, local officials said Tuesday. No human cases have been linked to the flock, but the detection highlights the risk of H5N1 to people who live near,