For the first time, birds in a backyard flock in Wayne County have been sickened by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported Thursday.
It’s the first time in Wayne County that a flock has been identified with an H5N1 bird flu infection, MDARD said, though the virus also was discovered in a flock of birds at Hess-Hathaway Park in Oakland County last week as it continues its march across the continent, leaving sick cows and millions of dead fowl and wild birds in its wake.
“The affected premises is currently under quarantine, and the birds were depopulated to prevent disease spread,” MDARD said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon.No other details about the location, type of birds involved or the number of infected birds were released Thursday afternoon. The Free Press also has asked the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Wayne County Public Health Division for details about any people who might have been exposed to the infected birds, but did not get an immediate response.
The H5N1 virus is extremely infectious in many types of birds and has a high fatality rate in chickens, turkeys and some waterfowl. It also can infect cows and some other mammals, including cats and people. Humans who have contracted the virus in the U.S. since 2022 have been infected after direct contact with sick birds or cattle. To date, there has been no known human-to-human spread of the virus, and the type of H5N1 that is spreading in North America has caused mostly mild illness in people.
There have been some exceptions, however, which concern some scientists for the possibility that H5N1 could mutate in a way that could set off human-to-human transmission and cases with severe disease, like that seen in a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia who was hospitalized in November.
A report about her case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, detailing mutations in the virus that allowed it to replicate in the girl’s respiratory tract. It caused such severe illness, she was hospitalized for two months and needed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, also known as ECMO, which acts as an artificial heart and lungs when a person is so critically ill their own heart and lungs cannot function.
The H5N1 virus also killed a person who’d been hospitalized in Louisiana earlier this month. The Louisiana Department of Health reported that the person was exposed to both a backyard flock and wild birds, was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions.
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Although no human cases of H5N1 have been tied to exposure to birds at Hess-Hathaway Park in Waterford Township, a dozen people began a 10-day monitoring program by the Oakland County Health Division to watch for signs of illness.
One of them initially reported symptoms of respiratory illness — congestion and cough — and was tested for influenza A/B viruses, said Bill Mullan, a spokesperson for County Executive Dave Coulter. That testing came back negative. Because the H5N1 virus is a type of influenza A, that rules out bird flu in this case.
As of Thursday afternoon, Mullan said none of the other people exposed to sick birds in Oakland County have reported symptoms. Monitoring ends Sunday.
How to protect your backyard flock from H5N1 bird flu
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the general public from H5N1 remains low, and pasteurized milk remains safe to drink. It’s also safe to eat properly cooked poultry, beef and eggs.
MDARD said people with backyard flocks can take steps to reduce the risk by:
- Preventing contact between domestic and wild birds by bringing your flock indoors or ensuring their outdoor area is fully enclosed.
- Washing your hands before and after handling birds as well as when moving between different coops.
- Disinfecting boots and other gear when moving between coops.
- Ensuring you do not share equipment or other supplies between coops or with other farms.
- Cleaning and disinfecting equipment and other supplies between uses.
- Using well or municipal water as drinking water for birds.
- Keeping poultry feed secure to ensure there is no contact between the feed/feed ingredients and wild birds or rodents.
- Watching for multiple sudden deaths in the flock, a drop in egg production, a significant decrease in water consumption, diarrhea, sneezing/coughing, or an increase in sick birds.
- If avian influenza is suspected in domestic birds, contact MDARD immediately at 800-292-3939 (daytime) or 517-373-0440 (after-hours).
More:More than 100 birds culled at Waterford park for H5N1 bird flu
The public is asked to report unusual or unexplained deaths among wild birds to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by:
- Using the DNR’s Eyes in the Field app. Choose the “Diseased Wildlife” option among the selections for “Observation Forms.”
- Calling the DNR Wildlife Disease Laboratory at 517-336-5030.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press.
