United States: The top agricultural official in Michigan says he is cautiously optimistic about the state of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza outbreak because it has been more than six weeks since the last poultry farm or backyard flock reported sick birds, and no new cattle herds have been found infected with the virus in the last two weeks.
Official Statement
The head of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Tim Boring, told the Free Press on Thursday, “We certainly take it as good news that we haven’t had any recent detections here in a couple of weeks.” Simultaneously, though, we’ll make sure that we’re keeping up our tremendous efforts to lessen the virus’s spread and any risks to the health of people and animals. I would conclude that the slowdown of positive cases over the past few weeks is a direct result of increased awareness of and adherence to biosecurity protocols.”
Impact and Measures
Since the H5N1 bird flu virus has been spreading among domestic and wild birds for the past two years, about 6.8 million birds have had to be culled by Michigan’s poultry and egg producers. The virus evolved to kill seals, foxes, raccoons, and skunks in addition to infecting animals worldwide. In late 2023, it spread to cows after large concentrations of virus particles were found in the udders and milk of ill animals.
Human Cases:
Two farmworkers from Michigan and one from Texas recovered totally from minor ailments. Public health Officers are concerned that as the H5N1 strain that’s presently rising in the United States expands, there’s a lesser liability that it could evolve into a form that could affect in increased rates of severe illness and losses, indeed though this strain has not yet redounded in any deaths or severe sickness. According to data from the World Health Organization, 889 individualities in 23 countries who contracted H5N1 influenza A contagion between 2003 and April 2024 had a roughly 50 casualty rate from the contagion’s other subtypes.
Cows that has been affected from the flu can be asymptomatic
Bird flu testing of cows ,poultry and people remains mostly voluntary in the United States and many farmers and farmworkers may be unwilling to test or allow government employees onto their farms.
“We have more dairy herds known (to have H5N1) here in Michigan than in nearly any other state; Idaho has recently surpassed us,” Boring stated. Because we’re testing for it here, however, we have a large number of dairy farms that are known to have sick animals. We’ve been testing for it here in Michigan, and we have two positive farmworkers. Thus, it truly illustrates the well-coordinated efforts of those in charge of both human and animal health.
“USDA’s body of research (and) understanding of what this virus looks like is almost exclusively from Michigan.”
Financial support for farms tied to testing:
The federal and state agricultural ministries are encouraging dairy farmers to test for avian flu by using a carrot-and-stick strategy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and MDARD are providing grants and other financial help to dairy enterprises that have lost money as a result of H5N1 viruses lowering milk output in their herds; however, these offers are contingent upon the farms consenting to testing and study.
Slotkin stated that farmers are “going to be interested in compensation and help and assistance,” which may persuade them to allow experiments to take place on their property.