Rule #1: Don't panic.

In Michigan, the case initially went undetected. A nasal swab first tested negative for influenza in Michigan, but an eye swab from the patient was shipped to CDC. There, it tested positive for the flu virus, according to the CDC.

The virus has been circulating in dairy and poultry farms across the U.S. for several months, and was detected in Michigan cattle March 29. Just more than a month later, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s director Tim Boring directed farmers to take extra precautions to separate potentially infected livestock and to minimize interaction between humans and farm animals. […] Boring, in the statement released Wednesday afternoon, said finding the human case is “exactly how public health is meant to work, in early detection and monitoring of new and emerging illnesses.”

From the Freep's coverage…

[Michigan chief medical officer, Dr. Natasha] Bagdasarian said the average Michigander shouldn't panic. […] "The risk to the general public remains low," she said. "And that's for a few reasons: No. 1, we have not seen evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. ... For this to become a bigger risk to the general public, we would be looking for sustained human-to-human transmission and we have not seen that."

Citing privacy concerns, no details were released Wednesday about specifically which farm employed the Michigan worker or in which county the infection occurred. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported Monday that avian influenza outbreaks have been identified in 18 dairy cow herds in the following Michigan counties: Clinton, Gratiot, Ionia, Allegan, Ingham, Isabella, Montcalm, Barry and Ottawa.

It's more cow herd outbreaks than in any other state, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Since the outbreak began in February 2022, H5N1 avian influenza also has been detected in domestic birds from 23 Michigan counties: Bay, Branch, Cass, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Menominee, Montmorency, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Ottawa, Saginaw, Sanilac, Tuscola, Washtenaw and Wexford.

Alt Freep link for your convenience via archive.is

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