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| MSU College of Veterinary Medicine |
Right now, Michigan is a hot spot for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, which has been detected in 26 herds across the state. The latest case was reported on July 9, 2024, in Gratiot County. This virus, typically found in wild birds, is now appearing in dairy cattle, poultry, and even humans, surprising state scientists.
On May 1st, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) issued a strict new bio-security order for dairy farms to follow in an effort to mitigate the spread. News Channel 3 spoke with a dairy farmer who expressed that this virus is the most concerning challenge he has faced in 40 years. Scientists across the country are scrambling to learn more about this new virus.
"What are the transmission pathways? How is it moving from farm to farm?" asked MDARD Director Tim Boring.
The first positive detection of the avian flu in cattle was discovered on March 29th on a dairy farm in Montcalm County. The affected cattle had just arrived from Texas.
"As a virologist, and I think that all of my virologist friends who are going to be honest, would tell you that none of us expected to see this happen," said Dr. Kimberly Dodd, the director of Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
The sample was sent to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, where Director Kimberly Dodd and her team immediately began their work.
"A core part of our mission is to continually develop new tests to be able to detect new emerging diseases," Director Dodd said.
The lab is part of a network of 63 across the country, working with the USDA to respond to animal health disease events, placing Michigan at the forefront of discovering what this virus is capable of.
"Is it possible it could become the next COVID, as a scientist, what are your thoughts?" asked News Channel 3 Anchor Jessica Harthorn.
"The longer that we have viruses circulating in the population, the more opportunity there is for mutation, which could potentially raise the risk for spread to other species, including humans. But that's always the case, even before we saw the situation of influenza viruses in dairy cattle," Director Dodd explained.
As of July 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported nine human cases, two of which are in Michigan, involving individuals who were in close contact with cattle.
Doug Chapin, chairman of the Michigan Milk Producers Association and a dairy farmer in Mecosta County for 40 years, expressed his concerns.
"Well, my first reaction was I wanted to make sure my family that work with the cattle, and the farm employees were safe," Chapin said.
Safety is a top priority for MDARD. In May, Director Tim Boring issued mandatory bio-security rules for farms to follow.
"It's about making sure that we are keeping viruses on farms, keeping it off of new farms, and really focuses a lot on people, equipment, vehicles, addressing those transmission pathways," Director Boring said.
MDARD is also prioritizing testing. "Local health departments are out talking to farm workers in the event there is a positive herd detected, we are doing a lot of people tracking, a lot of health monitoring," Director Boring added.
Currently, a curbside sample drop-off is set up at the MSU laboratory. Director Dodd stated that hundreds of tests are being conducted weekly, and Michigan is leading the country using a collaborative approach called "One Health."
"It's this idea that animal health, human health, and environmental health are all interconnected, and in order to tackle a challenge in any of those areas, we need to work together. I'm really proud of the work our state has done to support the USDA and the national response," Director Dodd said.
Director Boring mentioned that numbers show the bio-security rules are working to reduce the spread of avian influenza. As for Chapin, he said that currently, his herd of 700 is healthy.
"Has implementing the new rules been a challenge to your farm?" asked Harthorn.
"I think yes, yes, it's been a challenge to make it all work right. As a producer, you always wish it wasn't in your backyard, so I think that's why you want to double down on your bio-security efforts, to do all that you can do to keep your cattle and your people safe," Chapin said.
The MDARD map published on May 24, 2024, shows the ten counties in Michigan where positive cases were reported in dairy herds, six of which are in West Michigan. As scientists continue to learn more about the Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu, MDARD stated that its bio-security rules will also evolve.
