What we know about human bird flu and our food
Can I catch bird flu? How safe is it to eat eggs? What we know now about bird flu after it spreads to a second person in the US.
LANSING – A U.S.-wide outbreak of avian flu continues to spread in Michigan, where it was found in chickens and cattle and prompted a state of emergency order earlier this month.
Thursday’s news that 400 layoffs at Herbrook’s poultry farm in Ionia County and 6.5 million chickens could be culled to stop the spread in Ionia County alone was the latest indication that it could have a broader impact on Michigan. Ripple effects can be felt in egg and meat prices and availability, as well as at the 4-H fair.
About 91 million poultry farms in the United States have been affected, and outbreaks have occurred in 48 states as of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control said. Additionally, nine states, including Michigan, have reported outbreaks of avian flu in cattle, with 49 herds affected across the United States. More than 9,000 cases have been found in wild birds in 50 states.
The most recent outbreaks were in backyard herds: May 2 in Gratiot County and May 10 in Ionia County, said Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The boring issue is not new to Michigan, as poultry farming has been affected several times in recent years.
“What makes it different today is that highly pathogenic avian influenza has been found in dairy cattle,” Boring said. “Poultry has been operating at a high level of virus safety for years.”
Here’s what we know about the disease and its effects.
Is H5NI (Avian Flu) dangerous to humans?
Although the World Health Organization predicts that 889 people will be infected with the virus in 23 countries this year and 2023, two cases have been reported in humans in the United States. In the United States, a poultry worker was infected with the virus in 2022 and this year a person was exposed from a dairy cow in Texas.
Erin Sorrell, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, said the disease could be fatal to humans, as more than half of all human cases worldwide are fatal. American medical colleges. However, that was not the case in the US
In the year In 2022, after working with poultry, the AAMC reported that the infected person had mild fatigue and recovery, and this year’s case in Texas resulted in conjunctivitis and the person recovered.
“As of right now, this is a low-risk situation in humans,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told the AAMC. But that could change as the virus spreads among more animals, he warned.
People in Michigan don’t get sick with avian flu, Boring said.
“We will continue to be very careful that this virus does not change,” he said. “We will continue to maintain a low public health risk. We will focus on animal response to avoid future health risks.”
The CDC also said the public health risk at this time is low, but the agency is “carefully monitoring the situation and working with states to control exposures from animals.”
Which counties in Michigan are affected by chickenpox?
Michigan has seen a large number of backyard outbreaks and few commercial infections, Boring said.
There are infections at commercial poultry farms in Ionia, Gratiot, New York and Ottawa counties, Boring said. Barry County backyard herd caught.
What is the effect on poultry?
Avian flu is devastating to chicken flocks, with 90% to 100% of chickens dying within 48 hours, according to the CDC.
The virus, which is usually carried by wild birds, is highly contagious, and birds spread the disease through their saliva, nose and feces. They can also become infected by coming into contact with infected areas, the CDC said.
Once an infection is found in a flock, the entire flock is culled, or culled under federal laws, according to the National Poultry Council.
Because the boring disease is so contagious and deadly in all types of birds, state and federal officials will work with the producer to discuss options once the case is confirmed. The result, Boring said, is typically “depopulation of the herd because the disease is fatal.”
The gloomy MDARD is optimistic that “we will not see further impacts on bird species or commercial flocks.”
Greenstone Farm Credit Services, which produces a financial outlook for agricultural markets, says more than 52 million chickens have died in 46 states, though Michigan was far less affected.
Which counties in Michigan are affected by cattle rust?
Ingham, Clinton and Gratiot counties in the Lansing area, as well as Allegan and Isabella counties, have reported infections in dairy herds, according to MDARD. The first infection was detected on March 29.
Boring’s emergency order measures include quarantining infected livestock, banning non-essential visitors and anyone who has recently been at a poultry farm. The department said the spread of infection among the herd was not fully understood by scientists.
So far, “this is a disease found in dairy cattle,” Boring said. “We don’t see it in beef cattle.”
What is Michigan doing?
Boring issued a state of emergency on May 1 due to infections in cattle and poultry.
The order, effective May 8, requires farms to designate a biosecurity manager, create a secure perimeter with limited access points on the farm, and implement cleaning and disinfection practices and procedures for both vehicles and individuals at these access points. Farms must also maintain a logbook that records all vehicles and persons disembarking from vehicles and crossing those access points, which must be available for review by MDARD officials upon request.
In addition, Boring has banned all lactating cattle and those in the last two months of pregnancy in Michigan for 60 days until a new case of avian flu has been detected. An exhibition ban has been imposed on all poultry farms in the state for 30 days until new cases are detected. This ban includes chickens, guinea fowl, turkeys, waterfowl, pigeons, doves, pigeons and farmed game birds.
Michigan’s egg and milk production is among the largest in the nation.
Michigan has about 900 dairy farms that care for about 440,000 cows and ranks first in the nation in milk production per cow.
Are chicken and turkey safe to eat?
Avian flu is not a foodborne illness, according to the National Egg Council, and people cannot get it from eating properly cooked poultry. And federal and state laws prevent infected birds from entering the food chain.
Boring described the actions of state and federal agencies as a “really strong response” and added that the USDA, FDA and CDC had a “coordinated federal response.”
He urged people to follow proper food handling and cooking practices when preparing raw chicken. While poultry is considered safe at 165 degrees, the best quality is 170 degrees for white meat for chicken and turkey, 180 degrees for dark meat for chicken and turkey, and 165 degrees for ground chicken and turkey.
Will this affect egg prices or availability?
Egg prices in America are high and rising. They are not expected to return to 2021 levels, the Associated Press reported.
The average price of a dozen eggs in February was $2.99, down from $4.21 last year, according to government data from the AP.
Avian flu is expected to affect prices, Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board, a marketing organization, told the AP. Even after the outbreak ends, egg markets may take time to recover, she said, because it takes three to six months to rebuild a flock. Low egg supply, price increase is expected.
And, Metz told the AP, if farms keep more chickens, that could drive prices down, which was the case last summer when prices were close to $2 a dozen.
Additionally, Michigan is one of several states implementing cage-free facilities, which will increase costs for producers as they transition. The Michigan law goes into effect this year, AP reports.
Regarding egg prices, Boring said, “We are still working to determine the impact of that. We are working closely with affected producers to help them overcome these problems and return to production as soon as possible.”
Egg prices are expected to decline 2.8% this year, the US Department of Agriculture reports.
What about milk?
Pasteurization has been proven to kill the virus, Boring said.
What does this mean for 4-H fairs?
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time for highly contagious bird flu in Michigan,” Boring said. For 30 days we have to be free from backyard or commercial inspections for poultry, and we work closely with exhibitors and associations to inform that.
He added that since the disease affects only lactating dairy cattle, “there is still a chance of finding other breeds of cattle at the fair.”
What’s next?
“This is a public health and animal health issue for us,” Boring said. “We’re learning very quickly, and we’re standing up for farms.
“We’re not out of the woods by any means. We continue to see new issues on dairy farms that impact poultry production. We’re proactively responding in both the poultry and dairy industries in Michigan.”