Midwest

Another Michigan dairy worker has contracted bird flu

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2024

Another Michigan dairy worker has contracted bird flu

Another Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday.

The dairy worker reported a cough, congestion, sore throat and watery eyes. The other two patients had only eye symptoms, health officials said. The farmworker was given antivirals and is recovering from respiratory symptoms, health officials said.

US, EUROPEAN NATIONS SEEK INCREASED VACCINE PRODUCTION TO PROTECT WORKERS EXPOSED TO BIRD FLU

The risk to the public remains low, although farmworkers exposed to infected animals are at higher risk, health officials said. The Michigan cases occurred on different farms and there are no signs of spread among people, officials said.

“Risk depends on exposure, and in this case, the relevant exposure is to infected animals,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

A human case with respiratory symptoms was not unexpected — flu-like symptoms have been seen in past cases of people who got other strains of bird flu from poultry. But it does raise the odds of possible spread, said the CDC’s Dr. Nirav Shah.

“Simply put, someone who’s coughing may be more likely to transmit the virus than someone who has an eye infection” he said.

Dairy cattle feed at a farm on March 31, 2017, near Vado, N.M. Another Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

In late March, a farmworker in Texas was diagnosed in what officials called the first known instance globally of a person catching this version of bird flu — H5N1 Type A — from a mammal.

Last week, Michigan officials announced the second U.S. case. That worker developed eye symptoms after “a direct splash of infected milk to the eye,” Michigan health officials said in a statement.

Neither of the Michigan workers was wearing face shield or other personal protective equipment, which “tells us that direct exposure to infected livestock poses a risk to humans, and that PPE is an important tool in preventing spread among individuals who work on dairy and poultry farms,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the chief medical executive of Michigan’s health department, said in a statement.

There are 100,000 to 150,000 workers on U.S. dairy farms, the United Farm Workers estimates.

Many dairy workers are reluctant to wear protective gear such as masks when working with cows in “some of the wettest conditions imaginable,” said UFW spokeswoman Elizabeth Strater. The organization has called for better access to equipment such as face shields — and for more information from employers about the risk of infection on the affected farms.

“Most dairy workers are not that aware of how to protect themselves,” Strater said.

About 350 people in the U.S. have been monitored for bird flu symptoms this year, including at least 220 in Michigan, health officials said.

More than 40 people have been tested for the virus in the U.S., according to the CDC. Numbers from Michigan health officials suggest most of them were in that state.

Since 2020, the bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species — including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises — in scores of countries.

As of Thursday, H5N1 has been confirmed in 66 dairy herds in nine states, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

The new case marks the fourth time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with the virus. In 2022, a Colorado prison inmate in a work program picked it up while killing infected birds at a poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered. That was before the virus was found in cows.

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Ohio

Children found in ‘deplorable’ Ohio home were part of same family

Published

3 minutes ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Children found in ‘deplorable’ Ohio home were part of same family

HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — The 16 children found living in “deplorable” conditions inside a small, dilapidated rural Ohio home are part of the same family, officials said Wednesday.

Authorities arrested four adults Tuesday on felony child endangerment charges after finding the children in the home. Some were in dire need of medical treatment, authorities said.

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”

Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday that the conditions inside the house in the tiny village of Hamden were almost indescribable, saying it “really looked third world.”

“It’s just almost beyond comprehension,” he said without providing details about what was inside.

It appeared that the children spent most of their time in just one room for much of the four years they lived there, Wilson said.

The house sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. On Wednesday, its doors and windows stood open to the 94-degree Fahrenheit (34-degree Celsius) heat. A tangle of discarded children’s items — two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail and two infant carriers — stood in a pile in the yard.

The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched the home on Tuesday.

The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopters.

Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.

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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

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South Dakota

Transparency, data protection laws take effect July 1

Published

41 minutes ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Transparency, data protection laws take effect July 1

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Several new South Dakota laws officially take effect July 1 after being signed into law this session.

This includes new rules on government transparency, online safety, and data privacy.

The Attorney General’s office says the changes are designed to protect South Dakotans both online and in public institutions.

The following 10 bills go into effect July 1:

Senate Bill 17: Prohibits a candidate or political committee from accepting contributions or loans made by a foreign national. It was unanimously passed by both the House and Senate.
Senate Bill 41: Revise a provision related to criminal invasions of privacy, prohibit the creation and distribution of digitally fabricated material of an identifiable individual, and provide penalties therefor.
Senate Bill 42: Enhance the penalties for ingestion, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance in a state correctional facility.
Senate Bill 43: Address search and seizure provisions applicable to digital currency.
Senate Bill 44: Establish investigative subpoena authority to gather business records in certain investigations.
Senate Bill 45: Revise a provision regulating delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, THC-O acetate, and hexahydrocannabinol for persons under the age of under the age of twenty-one and to provide a penalty therefor.
Senate Bill 46: Modify the requirements for open meeting agendas and provide a penalty therefor.
Senate Bill 47: Revise the requirements for executive sessions and closed meetings.
Senate Bill 48: Clarify that an official open meeting agenda must be posted online at least seventy-two hours before the scheduled start of the meeting.
Senate Bill 49: Safeguards the integrity, privacy, and security of genetic data and provides a civil penalty therefor.

“These bills protect our citizens from online predators, scammers, and illegal drugs, while they strengthen transparency within state government,” said Attorney General Jackley.

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