Dead chickens from Ionia sent to Ottawa, new tick discovered

OTTAWA COUNTY – An outbreak of bird flu on an Ottawa County dairy farm was not caused by the disposal of dead birds at a local landfill from outside the county, according to Health Officer Adeline Hambley.

On Tuesday, June 18, Hambley gave an update to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners’ Health and Human Services Committee on the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza – commonly referred to as bird flu.

Hambley said a large cull of chickens at a West Michigan poultry farm – Herbruck’s in Ionia County – left too many dead birds to be disposed of through composting, which is the state’s preferred method. Excess birds were taken to a landfill in Ottawa County.

During the removal of the birds, which took between five and seven days, bird flu was discovered on a dairy farm in the county, Hambley said. There were fears the dead birds were the source of infection, but tests showed that was not the case.

“It hasn’t caused the cattle to test positive for flu,” Hambley said. “You can test the viruses genetically and they’re not the same strains.”

Commissioner Allison Miedema asked Hambley to share this information with the entire board and affected farmers because the state has failed to do so. Miedema also said one farm “lost two years’ worth of wages” because animals were no longer viable and milk production had declined.

Miedema and Commissioner Joe Moss asked Hambley if there was a way to prevent more birds from outside the county from being dumped in the county. Hambley said to her knowledge the state had already decided that any more birds that would need to be taken to a landfill for disposal would not be brought here.

“The Michigan Poultry Association has raised some concerns … because there are so many poultry farms in Ottawa County,” Hambley said.

Animals have tested positive for HPIA on three farms in Ottawa County, the state’s website says. They include a dairy farm on April 12, a poultry farm on April 23 and a second dairy farm on May 30.

Hambley also reported the discovery of a Lone Star tick, which is not native to Michigan, in Ottawa County.

A family brought the tick to the health department after seeing it crawling on their child. The tick was not attached and had not bitten the child. Hambley said the tick was tested by the state and confirmed to be a Lone Star tick, which is typically found in the southern and eastern United States.

“It’s not the typical tick we find in Michigan,” Hambley said. “The fact that we have this is concerning.”

The tick was located in the West Olive area near Kirk Park, she said. The health department is currently conducting tick sampling as part of tick and mosquito surveillance, including increased surveillance near Kirk Park.

Bites from the Lone Star tick have been linked to Alpha-Gal syndrome, which can cause an allergy to red meat in some people.

Both committees that met on Tuesday had a new member.

Former Commissioner Lucy Ebel, who was voted out of office in May, was a member of the Health and Human Services Committee and the Talent and Recruitment Committee. Ebel’s successors took their seats at the board table on Tuesday.

Miedema currently serves on the Health and Human Services Committee along with Committee Chair Sylvia Rhodea, Moss, Gretchen Cosby and Doug Zylstra.

Commissioner Rebekah Curran took Ebel’s place on the Talent and Recruiting Committee. Other members include Miedema as chair, Cosby, Kendra Wenzel and Jacob Bonnema.

The only item on the Talent and Recruiting Committee’s agenda on Tuesday was the appointment of a new member to the interview subcommittee, which included Ebel. Curran was unanimously elected to the group, which also includes Miedema and Cosby.

Commissioner Chris Kleinjans, who defeated Ebel in the vote and was sworn in on May 28, has not yet appeared at a committee meeting.

Moss said June 11 that Kleinjans will serve on the Planning and Policy Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.

The next meeting of the Planning and Policy Committee is scheduled for July 2. The Strategic Planning Committee has not met since January due to the change in county administration.

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