COOPERSVILLE, Mich. — In an effort to help reduce the spread of influenza A, health officials are suggesting that childcare providers and camps delay visits to dairy and poultry farms.
In a press release from Dr. Natasha Badgasarian, Chief Medical Executive of the Michigan department of Health and Human Services, Badgasarian said quote “Health officials stress that the current risks to the general public are low. However, to reduce the spread of this disease between farms and to prevent additional infections in humans, the United States Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) recommend that dairy and poultry farms delay or stop non-essential visitors from entering farms."
To align with these recommendations, MDHHS advises that schools, child care providers, camps and Out of School Time (OST) program operators postpone field trips to dairy and poultry farms in Michigan until further notice.
Dairy farm owner Heidi Hendrickson said that owning Green Vale Farm is more than just a job, it’s a passion.
"I get up and I never go to work. I just live out my dream every day,” said Hendrickson.
She started leasing the farm at 17, just after she graduated high school. After a couple of years of growing her own cattle inventory, she now owns the farms and sells meat and dairy products that are produced right on her farm.
With the recent outbreak of influenza A among wild birds, she said she is taking extra precautions.
"We don't want anybody to get sick, we don't want our animals to get sick. It's just a win for everybody,” said Hendrickson.
She said she is still allowing customers to come to her farm because that’s where she sells her products, and she separates the animals from the humans. But even with those precautions, she still asks customers to be cautious if they travel from other farms to her farm.
“As a small business owner don't want to discourage people from coming by to my farm. But I also don't want them to necessarily go buy the animals in case they've been on a farm that had it or potentially could have it,” said Hendrickson.
She said in general; people shouldn't visit commercial farms but especially now, they should avoid those farms.
By being safe, she said the reduce of spread not only helps saves businesses, but also keeps the food production safe for everyone.
“We eat what we would sell. And if we don't dare eat it, we wouldn't dare sell it. And if we can't sell it, we don't get paid. And that's literally how it puts food on our table,” said Hendrickson.
”If travel to a dairy or poultry farm has occurred, we urge programs to ask visitors to monitor themselves for any influenza-like symptoms (below) for 10 days after that visit and report any symptoms back to the program leader," Bagdasarian said. "If symptoms occur, the program needs to contact the local health department in their area. Your local health department will ask for details about the farm and activities that took place during the visit to determine next steps. Influenza-like symptoms in humans include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, difficulty breathing, conjunctivitis (red, irritated eyes), sneezing, fatigue, body aches, headaches, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and/or rash.”
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