HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 13, 2025) – It’s not only human flu season, but bird flu continues to plague the Lakeshore, as well as elsewhere in the state and across the country.
In the past month, there have been six cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza identified at commercial poultry farms in Ottawa County, and more than 344,000 birds have been put down in Michigan during that time.
While an exact cause as to how this latest outbreak spread locally hasn’t been determined by state officials, it is believed that the timing of this latest round fits with what is known about migratory patterns of wild birds who may be infected with the disease.
Farmers in neighboring Allegan County are on high alert, according to a family legacy farmer from Otsego Gale Dugan, who is the new Allegan County Board of Commissioners Chairman.
State officials believe that the Ottawa County bird flu situation has been contained. Although one human death has been connected to this virus nationwide, the overall risk to the general public remains low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
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