Michigan farm helps USDA investigate bird flu outbreak in cattle, humans

LANSING, Michigan — Michigan is currently a hotspot for highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The virus, otherwise known as avian flu, has now infected 26 flocks, with the most recent case reported in Gratiot County on July 9, 2024.

The virus, commonly found in wild birds, has now been found in dairy cows, poultry and even humans, surprising state scientists.

On May 1, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced tough new Biosecurity Order Dairy farms must comply to help contain the spread of infection.

News Channel 3 spoke with dairy farmers who say the virus is the most alarming challenge they've faced in the last 40 years.

This is a new virus that scientists across the country are scrambling to learn more about.

“What is the route of infection? How does it move from farm to farm?” asked MDARD Director Tim Bowling.

On March 29, the first cows on a dairy farm in Montcalm County tested positive for avian influenza. The cows had just arrived from Texas.

“As a virologist, and honestly all of my virologist friends, I would say no one saw this coming,” said Dr. Kimberly Dodd, director of the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

The samples were sent to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, where Director Kimberly Dodd and her team immediately got to work.

“A core part of our mission is to continually develop new tests that can detect emerging diseases,” Dodd said.

The lab is part of a network of 63 locations across the country that work with USDA to respond to animal health disease outbreaks, putting Michigan on the front lines of discovering this virus' capabilities.

“Could this be the next COVID? What's your view as a scientist?” News Channel 3 anchor Jessica Hartshorn asked.

“The longer a virus circulates in a population, the more opportunity it has to mutate and potentially increase the risk of transmission to other species, including humans, but this has always been the case before we looked at the situation with influenza viruses in dairy cows,” Dodd said.

As of July 14, the Centers for Disease Control reported nine cases, two of which were in Michigan and involved close contact with cows.

Doug Chapin is Michigan Milk Producers Association; He has been a dairy farmer in Mecosta County for 40 years.

“Well, my initial reaction was I wanted to make sure my family and the farm employees who take care of the cows were safe,” Chapin said.

Safety is our top priority Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In May, Commissioner Tim Bowling published mandatory biosecurity rules for farms to follow.

“Our focus is on preventing the virus from getting on farms, preventing the virus from getting into new farms, as well as addressing vectors of transmission, focusing on people, equipment and vehicles,” Commissioner Bowling said.

MDARD is also prioritizing testing. “Local health departments are talking to farmworkers in case we find a positive herd. We're doing a lot of tracing and health monitoring of a lot of people,” Bowling said.

Dodd said curbside sample collection sites are now being set up at Michigan State University laboratories, hundreds of tests are being conducted each week, and Michigan is leading the nation with a collaborative approach called “One Health.”

“The idea is that animal health, human health and environmental health are all interconnected and we need to work together to address challenges in these areas. I'm really proud of the work our state has done to support the Department of Agriculture and the national response,” said Secretary Dodd.

Mr Bowling said figures showed biosecurity rules were working to reduce the spread of avian flu, while Mr Chapin said the flock of 700 birds was currently healthy.

“Has implementing the new rules been a challenge for your farm?” Hartshorn asked.

“Obviously it's been a challenge making it all work and as producers you always hope that the virus isn't in your backyard so that's why I think we need to double down on our biosecurity efforts and do everything we can to keep our cattle and people safe,” Chapin said.

of MDARD Map The report, released May 24, 2024, lists 10 counties where positive cases have been reported in Michigan dairy herds, six of which are in West Michigan.

For dairy farmers who want peace of mind, all inspections are covered by the USDA. For more information, click here.

MDARD said biosecurity regulations will continue to evolve as scientists continue to learn more about highly pathogenic avian influenza.