For the first time, birds in a Wayne County backyard flock have been sickened by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, MDARD reported.

State officials said they've discovered the first case of the highly infectious H5N1 bird flu virus in a backyard flock in Wayne County. In a press release issued Thursday, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development did not specify how many birds were infected, what species was involved or in which community they were located.

In addition to the isolation measures, birds were killed to prevent the highly-contagious virus from spreading, officials said.