Avian flu identified in Ottawa County dairy herd
LANSING — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Friday afternoon that highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in dairy herds in three more Michigan counties, including Ottawa.
A release from MDARD on April 12 stated dairy herds in Ottawa, Ionia and Isabella counties had tested positive for HPAI. This is in addition to an HPAI-positive dairy herd in Montcalm County announced March 29.
The positive tests were confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
HPAI is a highly contagious virus in birds and poultry that can spread directly by infected wild birds or animals, or indirectly through items exposed to the virus such as equipment, feed or clothing.
Anyone suspecting the presence of HPAI or other reportable animal disease in their domestic animals should contact MDARD at 800-292-3939 during the day, or 517-373-0440 after hours.
"What is happening with HPAI in Michigan, mirrors what is happening in states across the country,” MDARD Director Tim Boring wrote in a release. “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 for our poultry and dairy farming families and communities.”
Federal agencies — the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC — have said the commercial milk supply remains safe due to federal animal health requirements and pasteurization.
Michigan state law requires milk sold in stores to be pasteurized, which has been proven to “inactivate” bacteria and viruses like influenza.
For more information, visit michigan.gov/birdflu.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Avian flu identified in Ottawa County dairy herd
