(WWJ) Oakland County is working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to determine whether nearly a dozen people have been infected with H5N1 bird flu.
Health officials say 11 people are being quarantined after they came in contact with an infected backyard flock.
Bill Mullan, spokesperson for Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, said it's important to monitor yourself for any symptoms:
"Just like any other respiratory illness, we would have the same advice or anyone," Mullan said. "You know, to wash your hands, maintain a little distance between people. If you feel like you have respiratory symptoms...don't go into work, don't go into school."
Two of those people being isolated have displayed flu-like symptoms, Millan said. Their flu tests have been sent to the state health department to determine if they do, indeed, have bird flu.
They will remain in quarantine for 10 days, with Jan. 9 being Day 1.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Thursday that the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus had been confirmed in birds in the Oakland County backyard flock, but details about the location of the flock were not released. Health officials did not disclose many birds are involved, or whether they were chickens, turkeys or some other foul.
Speaking with WWJ's Taylor Dietz on Friday, DMC Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman said the public health risk remains low, at least for now.
"For humans, it is not a public health crisis today," she said. "It is, however something that could very easily become a public health crisis very soon. So, if you ask me how worried about it I am, I will say today I am not overly concerned about bird flu as a human public health crisis."
Snoeyenbos Newman said it remains important that everyone properly handle and cook all poultry and eggs. And if you do own some backyard birds, monitor them for unusual behavior.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited by the University of Maryland Extension indicates that 7% of all U.S. households own a small flock, with an average size of 49 birds. Throughout the country, there are more than 138,000 small backyard flocks.
Audacy reported in December that the USDA mandated that the entire national milk supply be tested for bird flu. The move came amid concerns about H5N1, which has spread to over 720 dairy herds across 15 states since March.