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MDARD HPAI Alert: Barry County

Michigan Dept of Agriculture & Rural Development sent this bulletin at 05/06/2024 02:30 PM EDT

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in Barry County

Today, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring announced the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd from Barry County.

Regardless of species, biosecurity remains the best tool available to combat HPAI. On May 1, 2024, Director Boring issued the “Determination of Extraordinary Emergency HPAI Risk Reduction and Response Order." In addition to other protocols, the order requires all dairy operations in Michigan to adopt enhanced biosecurity measures, collectively reducing the risk of introducing this virus on to farms. On May 3, 2024, additional guidance was issued to help producers enact these requirements.

In addition to these requirements, following a few key steps can also be fundamental to protecting the health and vitality of Michigan's dairy cattle:

Delay or stop incoming or returning animals from herds with unknown or suspect health status.
Isolate all animals that are new or returning to your farm.
Monitor the health of your animals daily.
Contact your veterinarian if there are ever any animal health-related concerns or if you would like to develop a secure food supply plan.
Sick animals should have dedicated equipment and be cared for after tending to healthy animals first.
Clothing, footwear, and equipment worn/used around sick animals should not be worn/used around other animals until they are cleaned and disinfected. Use an EPA-registered disinfectant effective against avian influenza.
Do not share tools, equipment, trailers, etc. with other farms.
Clean and disinfect the interiors of trailers used to haul animals from other operations.
Limit non-essential visitors to your farm.
If individuals have recently been on a poultry farm, they should not visit a dairy operation, and vice versa.
Require or provide clean clothing and footwear to those entering your farm.
Use hand-washing stations and provide gloves to those working on your farm.

As part of the disease response, MDARD is working with the herd's veterinarian to monitor the health of the animals and conduct trace investigations. MDARD continues diligently working with local, state, and federal partners to quickly respond to reports of HPAI to mitigate the spread of the disease and provide outreach.

Subscribe to receive email notifications by visiting MDARD's website and clicking on the Avian Influenza link. After entering a valid email address, subscribers will receive updates and alerts regarding the status of avian influenza in Michigan whenever there are new developments to report. Additional resources can also be found at Michigan.gov/BirdFlu.

For more information on the detections of HPAI in cattle, please visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.

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