AVIAN INFLUENZA IN THE U.S.

The most dangerous characteristic of avian influenza is its ability to mutate quickly from a low-pathogenic disease of the respiratory tract to a high-pathogenic disease with mortality rates up to 100%, explained David Swayne, DVM, PhD, research veterinarian with the USDA. Once these low-pathogenic strains enter a commercial poultry flock, the virus circulates throughout the flock and has the potential to mutate into the high-pathogenic H5 and H7 strains, which spread rapidly resulting in high mortality levels. As early as 1987, low-pathogenic forms of avian influenza (AI) were identified in flocks of wild birds in the US that experienced very little infection or mortality. Even though low-pathogenic strains of AI are not known for high mortality, co-infections with other respiratory diseases including infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease can increase production losses and mortality levels. In early 2015, highly pathogenic H5 strains of AI spread quickly between flocks and poultry farms across the US resulting in the destruction of approximately 48 million chickens and turkeys. Low-pathogenic AI was also reported in turkey flocks in Indiana in January 2016 and in Missouri in April 2016. “The AI virus can be spread through various paths including clothing, vehicles, dust and windblown particles,” Swayne said. “The exact pathway of infection may never identified.” Poultry producers quickly learned the importance of biosecurity during the 2015 outbreaks and began implementing strict protocols in an effort to help slow the spread of the disease. Education is the key to early detection of an AI infection. It is critical that everyone involved in poultry production — from the farm workers and veterinarians to the testing labs — is educated and trained to identify the signs of AI. “The AI outbreak in Indiana [in early 2016] began in ducks and birds of prey as a low-pathogenic strain,” Swayne explained. “Once it entered the commercial operation, it began circulating and mutated into a highly pathogenic H7 strain.” Increased surveillance on the part of poultry producers and veterinarians helped identify the 2016 Indiana outbreak before it became widespread, he added. The Missouri outbreak in late April was still being investigated at the time of this report. Vaccination programs for AI remain a hot topic for poultry producers worldwide. Swayne said because the US can’t live with highly pathogenic AI, the best solution for control is complete eradication of the disease or a “stamping-out” program involving humane euthanasia and ecologically sound disposal. In other countries with poor infrastructure and limited diagnostic and testing programs, vaccination for AI is often the only viable option for poultry production. Culled from poultry health today.

U.S. kills 39,000 turkeys in outbreak of mild bird flu - OIE

U.S. authorities destroyed 39,000 turkeys in Missouri due to an outbreak of a mild form of avian flu, the World Organization for Animal Health said on Tuesday, as officials remained on alert for new cases. State authorities also have begun a quarantine and taken surveillance measures around the farm in Jasper County that was hit with the H5N1 strain of the virus to watch for other cases, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. All commercial flocks within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm have tested negative, the department said. The outbreak, which was detected late last month, is considered low pathogenic, meaning it is not as contagious or deadly as other varieties of the disease. Such strains are still a concern to agriculture and health officials because they can mutate into more dangerous, highly pathogenic forms of the virus. Japan has banned imports of poultry from the area around the infected farm, and Kazakhstan has banned imports from Jasper County unless they are heat-treated to a required temperature, according to United States Department of Agriculture notices. In January, an Indiana turkey flock was thought to have become infected with highly pathogenic flu when a less dangerous strain mutated. More than 400,000 birds around the infected farm were eventually culled to contain the outbreak. Last year, almost 50 million chickens and turkeys died in the United States because they were infected with a fast-moving outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu or killed to contain the disease. Birds from the infected Missouri flock will not enter the food system, according to the USDA. In some outbreaks of low pathogenic flu, infected poultry can be slaughtered for meat if they have time to recover from the disease and test negative for it. However, the Missouri flock was a week away from going to slaughter when it was infected and there was not enough time for that process, the USDA said. The agency said it is treating the Missouri infection as it would any other low patfor that process, the USDA said. The agency said it is treating the Missouri infection as it would any other low pathogenic flu case. Wild birds are thought to spread the virus to farms through feces and feathers dropped from the air. The strain found in Missouri had its lineage in North American wild birds, officials said. culled from Reuters.com

AVIAN INFLUENZA IN THE NEWS.

Mexico has been dealing with a number of new cases of avian influenza in recent months.Nineteen outbreaks of H7N3 avian influenza in Mexico have been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) between January and March in the states of Jalisco, Puebla and Veracruz. One of the outbreaks was in a small flock of Indian peafowl and 3 others were in backyard flocks. However, the majority of outbreaks were in commercial flocks of layers or breeders with a total of more than 2.7 million birds affected. Of these, around 14,000 died and more than 145,000 had been destroyed. Several of the affected farms were identified as the result of surveillance, which is continuing in all three states, according to the report. Avian influenza has also been reported in Myanmar and China. Myanmar had been free of HPAI since February last year, but a so-far unidentified H5 virus has returned to the region of Sagaing in the center of the country. A flock of 500 10-month-old layers was affected, leading to the death or destruction of all the birds. China’s news agency, Xinhua reports that the authorities in Myanmar have culled 7,000 chickens at 13 farms in the affected poultry farming zone in Monywa in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading further. A quarantine zone has been established and surveillance has been stepped up with no human infections reported so far. Vietnam reported the loss of a village flock of 200 birds in the northerly province of Nghe An earlier this month. The presence of the H5N1 virus subtype has been confirmed. Two new linked outbreaks of H5N8 HPAI have been reported following testing of native chickens received by a slaughterhouse in the southwestern city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The H2N2 virus was also confirmed in one of the flocks. Almost 1,300 birds were affected in total. After abnormal mortality of 558 birds was observed in 2 flocks of breeding geese in Taibao city in Chiayi County, the H5N2 virus was confirmed and the surviving 3,000 birds have been destroyed. Despite the recent mild weather that should have helped reduce the spread of HPAI, Focus Taiwan reports that 1,312 geese have been culled at a farm in Chiayi county in the last week after confirmation of a highly pathogenic H5 virus. This brings the number of Taiwanese poultry farms affected by HPAI so far this year to 27.

NEWCASTLE DISEASE RESURFACES IN ROMANIA.

Romanian broiler flock tests positive for Newcastle disease one week after veterinary officials deemed the Newcastle situation resolved .One week after Romanian animal health officials reported that the Newcastle disease situation has been resolved in the country, the virus was confirmed in a broiler farm there. Romania’s National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority reported to the World Organsiation for Animal Health (OIE) that a broiler farm of 70,000 chickens in Prahova County had been infected. More than 13,300 32-week-old chickens were affected by Newcastle disease, with 4,455 fatal cases. According to the OIE, the birds were vaccinated against Newcastle disease on March 3, March 17 and April 3, but the organization added that the probably procedure of vaccination has not been respected. Control measures applied included disinfection, quarantine, stamping out, surveillance, zoning and control of wildlife reservoirs. The OIE stated it will submit weekly follow-up reports on the Newcastle disease situation until it is resolved. Read more @wattag.net

NEWCASTLE DISEASE OUTBREAK

The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Romania reported to the OIE on April 4 that the Newcastle disease situation in the country has been resolved. There was only one confirmed case in Romania, as a layer flock of 1,582 hens in Bucov, Prahova, Romania, was infected in November 2015. A total of 510 hens died, while the remaining 1,070 birds were destroyed. Movement control, zoning, screening and surveillance activities followed. The property was disinfected, animal products were destroyed and all carcasses, by-products and waste was properly disposed and source of infection was never determined. During the first two months of 2014, The Botswana Ministry of Agriculture notified the OIE of five cases of Newcastle disease, all of which occurred in the eastern half of the country. Three of those cases were in backyard poultry flocks. In total, 42,315 birds were susceptible, 3,966 were confirmed to have the disease, and 1,049 birds died. Contact with wild birds was believed to have been a cause for some of the infections. On March 30, the Ministry of Agriculture determined the Botswana Newcastle disease outbreak to be resolved, and notified the OIE on April 5. It has also been reported in Bulgaria, Bulgaria is just one of several countries that are dealing with Newcastle disease. The OIE states that, Israel has had seven outbreaks of the disease in recent months, affecting as many as 19,400 birds. The Philippines is also struggling with Newcastle disease, as the country’s Department of Agriculture is urging poultry owners to vaccinate their flocks amid the deaths of 41,000 birds. source;WattAgNet.com

New HPAI strain strikes US turkey farm.

. The US is bracing itself for more avian influenza heartache following confirmation of a previously unseen strain of highly pathogenic H7N8 striking a commercial turkey farm in southern Indiana.The outbreak, which has prompted the culling of about 60,000 birds, is different than the one that caused more than 200 outbreaks in US poultry last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).An Indiana State veterinarian confirmed that the strain was unique to Indiana and the nation and isn't related to the strains that struck the upper Midwest last year or to an outbreak last May in a backyard flock in north-eastern Indiana.Indiana is the nation's fourth-largest turkey producer, the third-biggest egg producer, and first in duck production. The state's poultry industry is worth $2.5 billion. story source;CIDRAP

Vietnam raises bird flu alert as dangerous strain detected

Vietnam raises bird flu alert as dangerous strain detected

NEWCASTLE OUTBREAK IN ROMANIA.

Romania has reported an outbreak of Newcastle disease for the first time since 2007. Where over 500 birds died in a flock of laying hens in Bucov, Prahova. Another 1070 birds were destroyed to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Romania's report to the World Organisation for Animal health described the affected farm as 'non-commercial, and said the birds were aged seven and a half months. They were vaccinated at 1 and 3 weeks old with a live attenuated vaccine, administered orally. The country has culled all affected birds and has initiated a surveillance to facilitate tracing and tracking of birds and also institute control measures in cases of outbreak. story courtesy; poultry site.

FRANCE REPORTS 2 NEW CASES OF HPAI.

FRANCE - France's agriculture department has said that two further outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been detected as part of the emergency response to an outbreak identified last week. The French authorities immediately set up protection zones and surveillance around the backyard holding affected by the first outbreak, and as part of these measures, extra samples were taken from birds inside the cordons. The results from analysis of these samples revealed the presence of HPAI strains in poultry at two more farms in the Dordogne region, despite the birds exhibiting no mortalities or clinical signs. To protect and limit the spread of disease to other flocks of sensitive species, the Ministry of Agriculture said it is conducting the slaughter of all animals of the affected farms and have decided on further biosecurity measures. Story credit;The poultry site/news.

H5N3.

A new strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza ;H5N3 has been detected in 2 goose farms in southern Taiwan.The new strain identified 16/1/15 in these farms are thought to have been transmitted to the birds by migratory birds. The animal health authorities have issued a disease control measure response to the outbreaks, with all poultry slaughter houses ordered to stop operation for 2 days to carry out sterilization of equipment. A response plan should include: enhanced bio- security protocol, surveillance and monitoring of global progress of the virus to provide opportunity for proactive risk management, and also early detection,reporting and surveillance of the virus. The HPAI virus is on the move affecting poultry of various species, affecting man in some countries resulting in some deaths, all hands must be on deck to stop the virus. BE PROACTIVE! STOP THE HPAI VIRUS.

BIRD FLU.

AVIAN INFLUENZA; BIRD FLU. The highly pathogenic influenza virus is rearing its head in certain countries around the world and ravaging the poultry industry, Avian influenza virus affects birds such as chickens,turkeys, pheasants,water ducks,parrots,partridges,emus,quails and ostriches,although the susceptibility to virus varies as some birds show more fulminating signs(chickens) and others sub clinical signs(water ducks). The virus can survive outside the host for a considerable time. The route of the infection has been linked to migratory birds which harbor the virus with no clinical signs, their droppings contaminated pond of the water fowls, these pick the virus and their contact with other birds enhance the spread . The mode of spread: is from bird to bird by contact with secretions,dropping and contaminated bedding. Vehicles,equipment and tools also facilitate spread.Personnel moving between farms,abattoirs and poultry markets also facilitate spread,hence BIO SECURITY measures must be adhered to strictly on farms. The avian influenza virus strikes resulting in sudden increased mortality, however these are signs of BIRD FLU. 1) Ruffled feathers. 2)soft shelled eggs, 3)depression and drowsiness. 4)loss of appetite. 5)bluish combs. 6)green diarrhoea. 7)in coordination/paralysis. 8)hemorrhaging on feet and shank. 9}blood tinged discharge from nostrils. 10)respiratory difficulties. 11) edema of comb,wattles and eye lids. The above signs many poultry farmers can relate to because some other conditions also exhibit some of the signs,these leads them to vaccination, treatment after culling some birds.This is where the problem lies, the first step should be for you to take log of activities for the last 2 weeks; what came in?, what activities were out?,who came in?,which standard operations procedure did you or did you not perform?.while you take log of your activities, restrict movement to your farm, dispose dead birds promptly, give your birds vitamins in water and call your vet.

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