Cases of suspected bird flu have been found in Allegan County.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife outreach coordinator Rachel Lincoln tells us bird flu, or HPAI, has been confirmed this year in five counties, including Kalamazoo and St. Joseph. In the case of Allegan, she says DNR staffers collected 77 dead Canada geese and one dead mallard from the Fennville Farm Unit at the Allegan State Game Area back in February.
“Those animals were submitted to the DNR’s Wildlife Health Lab and they came back as suspect positives for HPAI,” Lincoln said. “So now they’re sent to another laboratory to confirm that those birds do in fact have HPAI. And it’s likely that they do, but we can’t actually confirm it until we receive those results back from the next institution.”
Lincoln says it’s believed bird flu is widespread around Michigan among wild birds. The state’s concern is keeping those cases separate from domestic birds like chickens.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed rigorous practices for farmers. However, Lincoln says everyone’s advised to take steps to keep wild birds separate from domestics. She recommends regularly cleaning any bird feeders on your property and not keeping wild bird feeders near domestic bird enclosures. Also, Lincoln tells everyone to stay away from dead birds.
The Allegan County Health Department adds if exposed to an infected bird, individuals should watch for symptoms of flu for ten days after their last contact with the bird. It notes bird flu can be treated in similar ways as the seasonal flu.
