USDA to Step up Wild Fowl Testing for Bird Flu

USA: October 27, 2005
Planet Ark

"WASHINGTON - The US Agriculture Department said on Wednesday it would step up testing of migratory fowl for bird flu as part of federal precautions against the deadly disease.

"The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which can be lethal to humans, was found in poultry in Asia before moving into Romania, Turkey, Greece and Russia in recent weeks. No cases have been found in the United States.

"The United States is the world's largest producer and exporter of poultry meat, with chicken, turkey and duck production valued at about $23 billion annually.

"The USDA is already testing some chicken flocks on American farms as well as migratory birds in Alaska to detect bird flu.

"The US government said it is planning more extensive testing in 2006 in the flyways where wild birds, believed to be the primary carrier of the disease, enter the United States. Officials did not say how many birds would be tested or where.

"Ron DeHaven, head of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said importers of US poultry products could be tempted to halt purchases if the H5N1 strain was found in wild birds in the United States.

"While detection of the H5N1 virus in migratory birds would be a good early warming signal, it does not show if the disease has spread to commercial poultry farms, he told reporters at a briefing on the US government's surveillance system.

"To help detect the highly transmissible form of bird flu, the USDA said it has more than 40,000 private veterinarians across the nation watching for the disease in local fowl.

"The USDA has already taken other precautions against the disease, including banning imports of live birds and eggs from infected countries and requiring all imported birds to be quarantined and tested for the virus.

"According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, properly cooked poultry poses no risk to human health.

"Only two cases of humans contracting the disease from consuming chicken products have occurred, both in Asia, said Dick Raymond, USDA's undersecretary for food safety. Both infections are believed to have occurred through eating undercooked meat or raw blood of the fowl, he said." Click the title to read the article.

With the onset of a possible bird flu pandemic, read Diseases & Impaired Immunity to find out if your own immune system is already compromised. Read more to learn how you can help yourself while waiting for the right vaccine to come along.

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