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Until
the WSU Veterinary Outreach Specialist is selected and comes on
board, Susan
R. Kerr, DVM, Ph.D, Director
of WSU Extension Klickitat County, is the point person for WSU Extension
regarding Avian Influenza (AI).
What
is Avian Influenza?
- Avian
Influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral inflection caused
by the influenza virus type "A" which can affect several
species of food producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea
fowl, etc.) as well as pet birds and wild birds.
- There
are many strains of bird flu and many of them cause little or
no harm to birds.
- AI
viruses are normally found in birds and can be expected to be
found when wild waterfowl are sampled. The concern is what type
of virus would be found. The current concern is that H5N1 has
become established in the migratory birds in many flyways. An
H5 virus of unknown N type has been found in British Columbia,
Quebec, and in Manitoba Canada.
- Influenza
viruses occasionally emerge among humans as part of the natural
ecology and biology of influenza viruses. Wild birds are considered
the reservoir for influenza viruses because more influenza A subtypes
(16) circulate among wild birds than Human or other animal species.
- Normally,
animal influenza viruses do not infect humans. However, avian
influenza viruses can sometimes cross this barrier and directly
affect humans. This was demonstrated in 1997, when an outbreak
of avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses infected both domestic poultry
and humans in Hong Kong, leading to 18 hospitalizations and 6
deaths. Since then, other outbreaks of avian viruses, (such as
H9N2 in 1999, H7N2 in 2002, H7N7 in 2003, and H5N1 in 2004) have
occurred and been found to directly infect people. Fortunately,
avian viruses lack the ability to easily spread from person-to-person
and therefore did not precipitate a pandemic.
How
Common is Avian Influenza?
- AI
is not new to our country; the USDA deals with outbreaks regularly
and has well-established protocols in place for AI detection and
eradication.
- The
United States has experienced three outbreaks with a serious AI
virus, yet no cases of human illness resulted.
- The
U.S. Department of the Interior regularly conducts surveillance
of wild migratory birds. As of March 2006, 1,000 birds have been
tested and 59 were positive for AI, none with a serious virus
type.
- Americans
typically have much less intimate contact with poultry than do
citizens in the countries where human cases of AI have occurred.
- Properly-cooked
poultry poses no bird flu threat to human health, so routine food
safety steps are simple and effective insurance measures.
- For
an AI pandemic to occur, the virus will have to mutate and be
able to be spread easily between people, such as by coughing or
sneezing. So far, the virus has only spread from infected birds
to people and then not beyond one more person.
What
Can I Do To Help Prevent Avian Influenza?
There
is concern in Asia about the infection of humans handling raw poultry.
The United States does not import any chicken, turkey or poultry
products from Asia. The fresh products you see in the store are
all produced in the United States except for a very small amount
produced in Canada. Like all microorganisms, avian influenza virus
is killed by the heat of normal cooking. Washing hands after handling
raw poultry is always a good precaution, but there is no danger
of getting avian influenza from normally and properly cooked poultry.
Poultry
producers and bird owners must strengthen
their biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of AI into
their flocks. Report signs of unusual illness among birds, such
as sneezing, coughing, nasal discharge, diarrhea, listlessness,
and sudden death. Producers and bird owners are urged to abide
by the following biosecurity practices:
- Don't
keep pet birds on commercial poultry operations. Don't allow employees
to maintain their own birds or poultry. Supply clean clothes and
footwear or disposable coveralls and shoe covers for employees
to wear when working with birds.
- Avoid
visiting other poultry operations. If you must loan tools or equipment,
ensure the items are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior
to use again on your premises.
- Maintain
good records on purchases and sales. If a disease problem arises,
these documents can help animal health officials track and eradicate
disease.
- Keep
poultry houses locked and allow entry only to essential personnel.
If dealers must enter your farm, insist that crates and trucks
are clean and never allow dealers' crates to be placed in your
houses.
- Animals
should not be allowed access to poultry buildings. Work with a
pest control professional to keep wild birds and rodents out of
houses.
- Personnel
should wear clean or disposable coveralls, head cover and plastic
boots or boots which can be washed and disinfected. Use a disinfectant
footbath, which is changed daily. Footbaths should be used when
entering and leaving the poultry house or egg room.
- Growers
should not wear poultry house clothing and footwear away from
the farm.
- Do
not use equipment from another farm in your chicken house or on
your farm. Disinfect and restrict the movement of vehicles entering
and leaving your farm. Disinfect tires and the undercarriages
of all vehicles as they enter or leave the farm or premises.
- Do
not attend auctions where birds are sold or visit other poultry
farms. Do not bring birds from slaughter channels back to the
farm.
- Dispose
of dead birds either by incineration, composting, rendering or
burial. Never dispose of them in fields and do not allow them
to pile up. Do not spread manure from any flock that has experienced
illness and mortality within the previous 3 weeks, unless the
manure is composted properly.
How
Do I Report a Disease?
WSDA
has set up a surveillance program within our state to attempt to
detect this virus should it reach the domestic poultry within Washington.
Emergency response planning has been ongoing to help stop an outbreak
before a small situation becomes a large one.
Birds
should be monitored for signs of illness. Submit
birds to a diagnostic laboratory whenever unusual disease occurs.
For
details on submitting sick, dying or dead birds, contact Dr. A.
Singh Dhillon, Director, WSU's Avian Health and Food Safety Laboratory
in Puyallup at 253-445-4537.
To
report disease, contact the State Veterinarian, 360-902-1878, or
the USDA Veterinarian, 360-753-9430. If AI or other serious avian
disease is suspected, a specially trained state or federal veterinarian
will be dispatched to assist you with testing at no charge. To report
disease after regular business hours, call the state Emergency Operations
Center at 1-800-258-5990. The Staff Duty Officer will take your
call and contact the State Veterinarian for you.
Where
to Find More Information:
Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Avian Influenza
US
Department of Health and Human Services Pandemic Flu
Planning
Checklists
US
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
USDA
Biosecurity for the Birds
Avian
Influenza Fact Sheet
Efforts
and Response Brochure
Spanish
Version
US
Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
National
Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and Egg Safety Center
National
Chicken Council
National
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Washington
State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)
Washington
State Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington
State Department of Health
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Oregon
Department of Agriculture Animal Health and Identification Division
Oregon Public Broadcasting Are We Ready for Bird Flu
Canadian
Food Inspection Agency Avian Influenza
World
Health Organization (WHO) Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response
(EPR)
Preparing
for an Influenza Pandemic: Focus on Local Preparedness from
the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness
Anticipating
Avian Influenza & Other Emerging Infectious Diseases of Public
Health Importance: Lessons Learned from SARS from the Harvard
Center for Public Health Preparedness
Foreign Animal
Disease Awareness Course from the Center for Food Security and
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