More Cattle and Now a Michigan Farmer Test Positive for Bird Flu

It was recently reported that 3 Michigan herds of cattle tested positive for avian influenza and now 3 more herds and a farm worker tested positive for bird flu.

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

The symptoms of avian influenza are very similar to severe human flu, cough, fever, headache, muscle aches, red eyes, shortness of breath, sore throat, and runny nose. It takes about 1 to 10 days for symptoms to show up after contact with the virus.

I have been working outside a lot and noticed an unusual amount of dead birds on the property but I haven't thought much about it until now when I learned that bird flu has a near 100% fatality rate among birds.

More Cattle Herds in Michigan Test Positive for Bird Flu

According to WOOD, three more dairy herds in Michigan have tested positive for avian influenza bringing the total of infected herds to 21. More herds in Clinton and Ionia counties now have the virus. Calhoun County has reported its first case of cattle with the virus.

Cows are much bigger than birds and have a better immune system so avian influenza is usually not deadly. Most cattle do not develop severe symptoms and are likely to show mild or none.

Read More: 3 Herds of Michigan Cows Test Positive for Bird Flu 

The problem with milk cows getting avian influenza is they can shed a lot of the virus into milk. This is not good if infected milk gets on store shelves because humans can catch the virus.

Michigan Farm Worker Tests Positive for Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

A Michigan farm worker is the third case ever on record in the United States to catch bird flu. Luckily the worker only had mild symptoms and has since fully recovered. It is rare for humans to catch bird flu and even more rare to die from it. Like in COVID-19 If a person with a weak immune system catches avian influenza it can become fatal.