Michigan became the 21st state to have poultry stricken by the expanding avian flu that has already led to the deaths of millions of birds.
The state announced Monday that the disease was found in free-ranging Canada geese in Macomb county.
The discovery was not “unexpected given avian influenza has been found in a number of our neighboring states and Ontario,” said Jamie Clover Adams, director of the state’s agriculture department.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found the risk to humans to be low. However, the burgeoning virus has caused disruptions in the egg supply.
So far more than 51 million birds have been infected, with the majority of infected being in Iowa and Minnesota, according to figures from the Michigan agriculture department.
The lack of poultry has caused shortages of egg supplies for certain businesses. The fast-food company Whataburger scaled back certain breakfast items due to an egg shortage.
Texas grocer H-E-B also limited the amount of eggs customers can buy, according to the Associated Press.
On Monday the U.S. made the unorthodox move of importing egg products from the Netherlands to help ease the shortage, the AP said in a separate report. The move was unusual as the U.S. normally produces enough eggs to satisfy its supply.
