Since March 29, Michigan has had 24 dairy operations test positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The state’s dairy farmers face unprecedented challenges, says Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Tim Boring, who recently announced emergency response funding to help advance research into the disease and help recovering farms.
In exchange for working with federal and state government agencies to investigate how the virus infected their operations, the state is offering up to 20 HPAI-infected farms $28,000 each for full epidemiological investigations and real-time longitudinal studies of the dairy herd.
This assistance is in addition to funding already available from USDA for dairy farms affected by HPAI in Michigan.
With a focus on mitigating the spread of HPAI, Michigan’s response has been a one-health approach, working with federal, state and local partners to quickly address public and animal health concerns, Boring says.
Three USDA emergency management teams have been on the ground assisting the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) in daily responses at all affected poultry facilities across the state. A USDA epidemiology team is also deployed to further assist in tracing and testing within dairy herds in order to provide real-time information.
“Our HPAI-affected farms have been incredibly cooperative in Michigan’s One Health approach to combating this disease,” Boring says.
Here’s the story in Michigan:
February 22, 2022: HPAI was first confirmed in a flock of poultry in Kalamazoo County.
2022: A total of 21 poultry flocks were depopulated due to the virus.
2023: Seven flocks of poultry were depopulated.
March 29, 2024: MDARD confirmed HPAI in a “large” Montcalm County commercial dairy operation of more than 500 cows, of which approximately 10% tested positive for the virus. The operation received asymptomatic animals from an HPAI-positive Texas herd.
April 1 to now: A total of 23 dairy operations and eight poultry facilities in Michigan have tested positive for HPAI.
2024: Ionia County has been hit hard by the virus: five dairy operations, three large commercial laying hen operations (more than 6 million poultry), and one backyard flock tested positive.
2024: Gratiot County has had five dairy operations and two poultry operations test positive, while Clinton County has had five dairy operations test positive.
A quarter of the country’s H5N1-infected dairy farms are in Michigan
Unlike poultry which succumbs to the disease quite quickly and must be depopulated once an operation has had even one positive animal, it is almost never fatal in dairy cows, which may present symptoms of fever, stiff manure , abnormal milk and a drop in production, according to MDARD.
HPAI-positive animals are isolated in sick pens, potentially treated with antibiotics and fluids, while their milk is diverted from the supply chain.
However, as the virus bounces between species (there are about 30 confirmed animal species), there is some concern that mutations could make it transmissible between humans (currently not) and potentially cause a pandemic.
Michigan has had two dairy farm workers recover from the virus, and the United States has four total. At this time, CDC considers the risk of HPAI to the general public to be low. HPAI is zoonotic, meaning it can spread from animals to humans, but it does not easily infect humans and does not currently spread easily between people, the CDC reports.
USDA and MDARD officials say there is no concern for the safety of the commercial milk supply because products are pasteurized before entering the market, to activate bacteria and viruses.
On May 1, Boring signed an “Extraordinary Emergency Determination” to further protect Michigan’s poultry and livestock industries from the ongoing HPAI threat. Michigan’s order improves on the USDA’s federal order, which was issued on April 24.
To sign up for HPAI alerts, go to michigan.gov/birdflu or to find additional information about MDARD’s ongoing response efforts.
Information on the protection of domestic flocks
New information, “Keeping You and Your Flock Healthy: Information on Avian Influenza” has been published by Michigan State University Extension with specific practices that poultry owners and other poultry enthusiasts can implement to help reduce the risk of disease transmission to their local flocks.
This information highlights what HPAI is and how it spreads, symptoms of infected birds and humans, simple methods farmers can use to reduce the risk of disease in their flocks, and what to do if you suspect birds are infected with HPAI. the IAKeynoteUSA.
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