Dairy workers at risk of disease don’t have protective equipment when they need it

As H5N1, or avian flu, continues to spread among dairy and egg facilities across the state, Michigan farmworkers and outreach workers report that the personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and vaccines needed to combat the disease are not readily available. Staff from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) recently connected with 20 dairy workers in Michigan’s upper peninsula who were sick with flu-like symptoms. It took repeated communication from MIRC staff and partner organizations to determine who could provide testing, flu vaccines, and PPE for the affected workers. This experience highlights the wide gaps that exist in the current response to avian flu in Michigan to ensure workers at highest risk are protected, and the stark need for additional resources to stop the virus from gaining opportunities to mutate and spread person to person.

In 2024, two human cases of H5N1 were identified in Michigan, both among dairy workers who are at high risk of contracting the virus from cows. Currently the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) directs affected workers to their local public health departments for H5N1 PPE, flu vaccines, testing, and treatment. However, the reality is that many public health departments are ill-equipped to serve in this role. Many do not have PPE, tests, treatment, or vaccines readily available, nor do they have the staff and language resources needed to communicate effectively with this vulnerable workforce.

On January 16, 2025, a group of 20 dairy workers in the northern peninsula reported being sick with flu-like symptoms. The illness spread quickly among the workers. On January 22, the local health department stated that they did not have  H5N1 PPE, testing, or flu vaccines on hand, but would try to locate some resources. On January 28, they provided paper masks and COVID testing for the workers. On January 29, MDHHS stated that they had run out of PPE kits but would also look for resources. Two weeks later, on February 14, the local health department was able to access about seven avian flu tests and arranged a testing site for workers, however due to miscommunication and confusion about whether their employer would allow them to attend, no workers attended. On February 17, after a month of advocacy efforts by MIRC staff, MDHHS obtained PPE to send to the local health department and the workers finally received H5N1 PPE. To date, the local health department is still working to arrange flu shots for these individuals. 

Public health experts assert that speed is essential in responding to potential avian flu outbreaks. As this timeline indicates, Michigan is not ready to respond with the swiftness necessary to mitigate the spread of H5N1. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) tested either the farm’s cows or the milk within two weeks of the first reported illness and fortunately the tests came back negative. However, the response to test the animals was much swifter than the response for the human workers.

One of the sick workers provided a statement to MIRC in Spanish that was translated by our outreach workers:

“We hope that through this communication, there can be protective equipment for the other ranches, since we’ve already gotten PPE at the ranch where we are working. It arrived a little late, we hoped to get it sooner, but now we have it. We hope that the agencies that helped us can help other farms too. The agencies should be better prepared, so that when there is a request or someone is ill, the agency can respond quicker to those who need the protective equipment. If the protective equipment had arrived faster, we might not all have gotten sick.”

“The services that public health departments provide really vary by location,” said Rachelle Linsenmayer, MIRC staff attorney. “Some health departments have seasonal flu vaccines, flu testing, and H5N1 testing, but many do not. We’ve noticed that more remote health department locations are less likely to have the Spanish language resources that animal production workers need.”

In Barry County, a dairy worker noticed her co-workers were sick and wanted to avoid contracting the same illness. When she reached out to the local health clinic, she was told they didn’t have the avian flu vaccine. She then contacted her local health department but the staff did not speak Spanish and she could not explain in English what she needed. Fortunately, a few days later, an outreach worker from MDHHS assisted her with communication with the local health department. However, the worker was disappointed that she could not be vaccinated, because no vaccines were available. Dairy workers in Kent County also reported flu-like symptoms, but they didn’t go to the clinic due to a lack of information, and their busy work schedules did not allow them to miss work. 

Accessing medical care is especially hard for dairy workers who work extremely long shifts, at least 12 hours per day. Many dairy farms operate 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, with round the clock milking schedules. The farms are remote and may not have access to nearby health facilities. When workers do have time off, they need to be able to quickly find and access resources, and cannot waste time contacting multiple agencies to locate H5N1 resources. Many dairy workers also fear seeking health services because they cannot afford an expensive medical bill. Given the heightened climate of immigration enforcement, workers are also afraid to travel to nearby health agencies. Health departments, if given additional state and federal support, can lower some of the barriers that animal production workers face by offering mobile clinics and providing PPE, testing, and vaccines on-site at workers’ housing or workplace. With the recent passage of the Earned Sick Time Act, dairy workers should now have access to paid leave when they need to seek preventive care or are sick.

The experience of dairy workers around the state highlights a major disconnect between what animal production workers are advised to do if they have been exposed to avian flu and the actual resources available to them. State and federal recommendations underline the importance of workers having PPE, getting preventative flu shots, and getting tested for avian flu if they are symptomatic, yet many local health departments – particularly in more remote and rural areas of Michigan where workers are located – do not have testing, PPE, or flu shots readily available. This leads workers to lose trust in local health departments. Organizations like MIRC also fear losing trust with workers if we direct them to resources that are not actually available. 

Additionally, employers have a role to play in ensuring their workforce is protected. Employers are required to pay for PPE when a workplace hazard exists or is likely to exist. At a minimum, employers must provide gloves to protect animal production workers against avian flu and may be required to provide boots, bibs, respirators, and/or goggles, if animals have symptoms or have tested positive for avian flu. Dairy employers with affected herds can receive reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for purchasing PPE for their employees.

While state and local health departments express a sincere willingness to help, miscommunication and difficulty finding resources persists. For example, health departments have had to request PPE or vaccines from other departments, and MDHHS had to ship PPE to health departments that did not have it. Last year MDHHS had promoted free resources but ran out of PPE in November 2024; unknowingly, other agencies continued making referrals to this service. Increased communication between state and local agencies is clearly needed to ensure services are available for animal production workers.

Simply put, Michigan’s public health departments, both state and local, are underresourced and not prepared or trained to sufficiently respond to avian flu. There is also a lack of support, funding, and resources from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Speed is critical to controlling the spread of H5N1 and public health agencies must have H5N1 tests and treatment medications like Tamiflu on hand, along with proper procedures to isolate the illness. Consistent supplies of PPE and vaccines are needed to help prevent the transfer of the illness from animal to human. COVID and flu vaccine access is also critical to reduce the risk of being infected with both avian flu and another virus at the same time, which can help prevent the formation of a hybrid virus that could be more severe or contagious. 

“The animal production industry frequently treats its workers as disposable, but the time has come for Michigan to prioritize the health of workers,” said Christine Sauvé, MIRC Policy and Communications Manager. “Not just for the workers’ sake, but to stop the spread of avian flu and protect the health of all Michiganders.”

Workers who have questions about their rights can call MIRC’s free confidential Farmworker and Immigrant Worker hotline at 800-968-4046.