GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — For the second time in less than two weeks, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in Ottawa County.
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The outbreak at the unnamed commercial poultry farm was reported to the agency on Monday.
Between dairy herds and poultry flocks, MDARD has found 40 outbreaks this year, although activity has slowed considerably since the early summer.
MDARD issued a risk reduction response on May 1, outlining specific measures for farmers to take to prevent the spread of the virus. The state has only seen eight outbreaks since the start of June and none since mid-October before the Ottawa County outbreak on Dec. 15 .
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MDARD says maintaining biosecurity measures are just as important now as it was at the height of the spread in May.
“Slowing the spread of highly pathologic avian influenza to protect human health is a top priority at MDARD,” Director Tim Boring said in a statement . “Implementing on-farm biosecurity and expanding the state’s HPAI surveillance efforts are key strategies to prevent opportunities for the virus to infect domestic animal species and potentially spread and become a more concerning human threat.”