- New research suggests Michigan is a hot spot for Avian Flu
- Several positive tests were found at a wastewater treatment plant in Jackson
- There are no reported cases in Jackson County
- Video shows expert explaining what his research found
Since 2020, Stanford University's Wastewater Scan Project has been detecting the virus that made COVID-19.
Today, the project has expanded to tracking 12 different virus strains, including H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or simply the 'bird flu'.
Alessandro Zulli, a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford University, says the numbers suggest Michigan and Texas are two hot spots for Avian Flu cases.
The project partners with wastewater treatment plants across the country, including the Jackson Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The plant in Jackson has seen several positive cases of bird flu in the last several weeks, according to Zulli.
"Ten of the last 13 samples have been positive for H5," Zulli said. Those samples were taken from May 16 to June 9.
The latest three samples, taken from June 11-16, have all come out negative.
Zulli says it's not harmful to humans but adds that it's something for the area to be aware of.
"H5 is present in the community," Zulli said. "Whether that's in the cows, the cats. Whether that's someone dumping a bunch of milk down their drain. Or if it's human cases. It could be any one of those."
Dr. Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agirculture & Rural Development, says the department is focused on testing and mitigating the spread.
WATCH: FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR. TIM BORING, DIRECTOR OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT
"[The] USDA has put some movement restriction among cattle across interstate lines," Boring said. "That's really important to continue to mitigate the threat of cow-to-cow movement."
Boring says they're still learning about the virus 10 weeks after dairy cattle became infected. The department recently launched a program aimed at helping farmers impacted by the virus.
WATCH: MICHIGAN HAS NEW PROGRAM TO HELP FARMS IMPACTED BY AVIAN FLU
Zulli says they're using this research to try and find ways to pinpoint the exact origins of the virus. For now he advises people to continue taking precautions and be aware of what's in your wastewater.
"Wastewater has demonstrated to be a very powerful public health indicator that can give you a lead time over pretty much any other indicator we have," Zulli said. "It tells you the earliest of anything we have."
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