The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is taking immediate action to ensure a rapid response to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the United States.
Tom Vilsack, USDA Agriculture Secretary, approved the transfer of approximately $263 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS to directly support the response, which allows APHIS to continue the critical work with state and local partners to quickly identify and address cases of HPAI.
As of May 12, the virus has been confirmed in 29 states, impacting more than 33 million domestic birds, with the latest positive tests coming in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Alaska, and Oklahoma. The virus was initially detected in a flock of pheasants earlier this year.
Agriculture and avian flu expert Chris Helm, executive vice president of global business at Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics, notes that USDA is expanding its surveillance of wild birds with the goal of preventing new cases from entering the poultry population, or at least tracking where new cases appear. This way, the agency can get ahead of any new cases and take action before it’s too late.
“Wild birds are the carriers of avian flu and carry it from farm to farm, which is why we’re seeing an uptick in avian flu among the U.S. poultry population,” he tells Food Quality & Safety. “If the USDA is able to track how the virus is spreading, they have the opportunity to get ahead of any new cases.”
This is critical, because the virus kills birds and often necessitates flocks be culled, which affects both the U.S. egg supply and the broilers and turkey supply. This could lead to inflation on these products or scarcity unless the virus is tamped down.
So, testing in both wild birds and chicken and turkey flocks is expanding, and remains a critical part of tracking the spread of the virus and preventing new cases. “Early detection can prevent spread, and we don’t want to see the virus jump from bird and poultry to humans, which we saw in the early 2000s,” Helm says.
“Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a serious concern for our nation’s poultry industry, and we need to continue our nationwide response to minimize the impact,” says Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA’s undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “The agency’s actions during this ongoing emergency serve to safeguard U.S. poultry and egg producers and reduce the effects of avian influenza on agriculture and trade, while also enhancing readiness for other animal health emergencies.
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