How bad is the bird flu in Michigan and what does it mean for eggs, milk?
LANSING — The avian flu outbreak across the U.S. has continued to spread in Michigan, where the disease has been found in poultry and cattle, and prompted an emergency order by state officials earlier this month.
The news Thursday of 400 layoffs at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch Ionia County, and that 6.5 million poultry likely will be killed to stop the spread in Ionia County alone, was the latest indication of what could be a widespread impact on Michigan. Ripple effects could be felt in egg and meat prices and availability, as well as 4-H fairs.
Nearly 91 million poultry in the U.S. are affected, with outbreaks in 48 states as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, nine states, including Michigan, have reported outbreaks of the avian flu in cattle, with 49 herds across the U.S. impacted. There also have been more than 9,000 cases detected in wild birds in 50 states.
The most recent outbreaks have been in backyard flocks: in Gratiot County on May 2 and in Ionia County on May 10, said Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Boring noted the issue is not new to Michigan, as poultry has been impacted several times in recent years.
“What makes it different here today is the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cattle,” Boring said. “Poultry operations have been operating at a high level of virus security for years.”
Here’s what we know about the disease and its potential impact.
Is H5NI (avian flu) dangerous to people?
There have been two cases detected in humans in the U.S., although the World Health Organization said between 2023 and this year 889 people have been infected in 23 countries. In the U.S., a poultry worker was infected in 2022 and this year, a person was exposed from a dairy cow in Texas.
The disease can be deadly for humans, as more than half of the human cases worldwide have been fatal, Erin Sorrell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland told the Association of American Medical Colleges. However, that hasn’t been the case in the U.S.
The person infected after working with poultry in 2022 reported mild fatigue and recovered, the AAMC reported, and the case this year in Texas caused conjunctivitis, and the person recovered.
“As of now, this is a low-risk situation for humans,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told the AAMC. But that could change as the virus spreads among more animals, he warned.
Boring said people aren’t getting sick from the avian flu in Michigan.
“We continue to be on high alert that this virus doesn’t mutate,” he said. “We continue to see it remain a low public health threat. We’re focused on the animal response so we don’t see future health threats.”
The CDC also said the public health risk at this time is low, but the agency is “watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures.”
Which counties in Michigan are affected by poultry infections?
Michigan has seen large number of backyard outbreaks, and a few commercial infections, Boring said.
There are infections at commercial poultry operations in Ionia, Gratiot, Newago and Ottawa counties, Boring said. Barry County has had a backyard flock infected.
What is the impact on poultry?
The avian flu is devastating to chicken flocks, according to the CDC, with 90% to 100% mortality within 48 hours for infected chickens.
The virus, most often carried by wild birds, is highly contagious, and birds spread the disease in their saliva, nasal secretions and feces. They also can become infected through contact with surfaces that are contaminated with the virus, the CDC said.
Once an infection is detected in a flock, the entire flock is killed, or depopulated, per federal regulations, according to the National Chicken Council.
Boring said because the disease is both highly contagious and lethal in avian species of all kinds, state and federal officials work with a producer to discuss options once a case is confirmed. The result, Boring said, is typically the “depopulation of flocks because the disease is so lethal.”
Boring said MDARD is optimistic that “we don’t see further impacts from this on avian species or commercial flocks.”
Greenstone Farm Credit Services, which produces financial outlooks for agricultural markets, said more than 52 million poultry have died in 46 states, although Michigan has been impacted much less severely.
Which counties in Michigan are affected by cattle infections?
Ingham, Clinton and Gratiot counties in the Lansing area, as well as Allegan and Isabella counties have reported infections in dairy herds, according to MDARD. The first infection was detected on March 29.
Among the measures Boring has directed in an emergency order are to isolate infected cattle, prohibit non-essential visitors and anyone who has recently been on a poultry farm. The department notes that spread of infections among herds is not fully understood by scientists.
Thus far, “this has been a disease detected in lactating dairy cattle,” Boring said. “We haven’t seen it in beef cattle.”
What is Michigan doing?
Boring on May 1 issued an emergency order because of the spread of infections in cattle and poultry.
The order puts into place, as of May 8, requirements that farms designate a biosecurity manager, create a secure perimeter to the farm with limited access points, and establish cleaning and…
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2024-05-19 14:40:14