bird flu

A conversation about how bird flu spreads and the animals could be impacted.

First, the necessary function of comment time in public meetings, and how some cities get it wrong. Also singer Isis Damil sets the tone with her own genre-defying style that is uniquely Detroit. Plus the dean of MSU’s veterinary college talks about the bird flu epidemic, what it means for farming – and your pet’s health.

Johanna McCoy, owner of The Bomber Restaurant in Ypsilanti, talks about how the spread of bird flu—and the resulting surge in egg prices—is impacting her business.

Preliminary test results of dead wild birds found across lower Michigan in January and early February indicate that bird flu is likely present. The samples have been sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory for confirmation, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources suggests Michiganders take precautionary measures.

The tools the US used to contain previous bird flu outbreaks just aren't working this time, according to some agricultural experts. Some egg farmers have called for vaccinations for poultry.

Today, Michigan Public's Kate Wells tells us what to know about bird flu.

Today, how bird flu is decimating flocks and egg production. Then, education developments to keep an eye out for this year. Later, how Black Detroiters were the forerunners of the modern lottery system.

Because the virus is so lethal in birds, and has to be contained quickly, entire flocks have to be euthanized essentially overnight. It’s still not clear how the virus spread among so many turkey farms in Ottawa County so quickly, but state officials say they think it's contained.

There were two human cases in the state earlier this year. But this isn't something the general public needs to be concerned about right now, the state's top medical official said.

The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows.