(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/12/2024) Three more dairy herds were found with the highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), bringing the total number to four.
The new cases were found in Ionia, Isabella, and Ottawa counties, and MDARD Director Tim Boring said what is happening in Michigan mirrors what was happening across the country.
“This virus does not stop at county or state lines, which is why we must all be on high alert. This news is unfortunate and upsetting to our poultry and dairy farming families and communities,” Boring said.
The first case of a dairy herd with avian flu was found in Montcalm County, and was linked to a herd shipped from Texas.
State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland said avian flu doesn’t affect dairy cows the same as it does birds and with proper care the cows are recovering.
She wanted to stress biosecurity and working with local veterinarians to make sure they recover from the virus.
“It continues to be vitally important for producers to work with their veterinarian, minimize the number of visitors to their farms, prevent contact between their animals and wildlife, and continue to monitor the health of animals vigilantly,” Wineland said.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the commercial milk supply is safe because of animal health and pasteurization requirements.
“Milk from clinically affected animals is not allowed to go into the bulk tank,” Wineland said.
If some were put in accidentally, Michigan state law requires milk be pasteurized before being sold in stores, which has been shown to kill the virus.
Analysis of the virus has not shown adaptations that would make it transmissible between animals.
The main concern centers on commercial flocks in Michigan. Boring said they were working to find out if there were possible transmissions between the cows and a commercial flock in Ionia County discovered recently.
“This is the same strain of the virus so both the dairy farms we’re talking about here and the poultry flock are highly pathogenic avian influenza. Still a lot of questions remain around what those linkages might possibly look like,” Boring said.
Wineland said it is a national situation, and they would be keeping an eye on things in the state.
