Discussion:

1
Welcome !

• Discussion
• Avian Influenza
• AI
• Bird Flu

2
Avian Influenza

• Hype and Reality information from
• Charles Beard of USDA retired,
• Steve Roney of Gold Kist,
• Dr. Wayne Lord of Gold Kist,
• Dr. Michael Doyle of Centers for Food Safety,
• Dr. Toby Merlin, CDC

3
What exactly is AI

• An influenza virus with
  8 gene segments and
  10 proteins
• It has projections on the surface of H N
• H5N1. Numbers are just assigned just names
• The H attaches the virus to the cell
• The N works on the cell membrane and releases the
  virus to infect other things

4
What disease does it cause

• This varies greatly from virus to virus
• It readily changes genetically
• There is low pathogenic LPAI and high pathogenic
  HPAI
• H5 and H7 are high path.in the A subtype
• There is a great risk in allowing LPAI to
  circulate in poultry. Experience shows that they
  can and are likely to change to high path.

5
LOW PATHOGENIC AI

• Can be any subtype A,B,C,H
• Signs are
• Some respiratory signs
• Declined egg production
• Mortality increases
• Sinusitis in turkey
• May have no signs of the disease
• Only detected after the fact serology
  antibodies
• Cannot infect eggs
• Does not infect blood, meat or bone

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HIGH PATH AI

• Totally different picture with severe depression
• High path is subtype A.
• No egg production
• High mortality 100
• Swollen combs, wattles
• Hemorrhages in combs, wattles, legs and
  internally
• VERY OBVIOUS
• Can get inside eggs laid by infected hens before
  death
• Pasteurization of liquid eggs kills the virus
• Infects the respiratory and GI tract, blood,
  meat, bone

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AI IN NATURE

• Some migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and seabirds
  are the natural hosts, generally with few signs
  and shedding of the virus in feces
• AI is a natural infection in ducks
• Can be in chicken, Japanese quail, geese
• Migratory waterfowl range over the globe with
  their flyways frequently overlapping
• Migrations are seasonal and predictable
• Unsheltered poultry (free range) and live poultry
  markets are a likely source for AI.

9
US Entry Potential for AI

• Potential US entry
• Overlap of summer breeding grounds in Alaska
  between east Asia/Australian and Pacific American
  flyways
• Illegal smuggling of live birds
• Infected humans flying and developing symptoms
  afterwards

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AI LOW PATH HISTORY

• A turkey problem in Canada and the US beginning
  in the mid 1960s
• Primarily in open range unsheltered turkeys
• Usually coincided with migration of waterfowl
  from Canada moving south in the fall.
• Vaccine was used to reduce impact
• Housing of turkeys greatly reduced the problem
• Biosecurity implemented to aid control
• Chicken infrequently involved until 1983

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LOW PATH HISTORY OF AI

• Cant use vaccines for H5 H7 in US because it
  masks the virus and shedding is less not a good
  thing

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HIGH PATH HISTORY OF AI

• 1.)1924-25 and 29 Fowl plague outbreaks in US
  primarily in NE and N Central related to live
  poultry markets
• It was promptly eradicated from the US
• The Fowl plague was determined by Schafer to be
  AI in 1955

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HIGH PATH HISTORY OF AI

• 2.) 1983 in PA/VA
• In April this was low path but it became High
  Path by October. It took 1 ½ years to eradicate.
• 3.) TX in 2004
• It was isolated molecularly to be high path but
  it never killed any birds

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HUMAN HISTORY OF AI

• WORLD WIDE
• China - 1996 -imported birds infected the live
  poultry market and got into supply flocks
• 18 people ill with AI. This changed the whole way
  of thinking about AI as a BIRD issue.
• Hong Kong 1996
• AI was introduced by geese from China into Hong
  Kong live markets
• Human illnesses with high death rate signaled a
  new day for AI. AI became zoonotic (animal
  disease that can infect humans)

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HUMAN HISTORY OF AI

• 207 cases, 115 deaths as of 5/8/06
• Suspected routes of transmission
• Handling infected poultry, fecal droppings,
  contaminated litter, contaminated surfaces/cross
  contamination
• Inhalation dust and droplets
• Contact with oral/nasal mucus
• Consumption of raw products
• Always close contact with sick chickens
• Domestic cats, big cats (tigers, leopards), pigs,
  domestic birds, swans, mink also infected.
• No sustained person to person transmission

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HUMAN SYMPTOMS

• Fever, cough, sore throat, eye infection, muscle
  aches, pneumonia
• Only deep cells within human respiratory system
  are affected

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8 May 2006
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HUMAN INFLUENZA PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE

• endemic viruses, adapted to humans
• Influenza A (H3N2, some H1N1), B viruses
• Drift genetic codes change little by little each
  year the reason vaccines are given each year
• Seasonal problem
• A pandemic is not a drift but a SHIFT
• Globally 250,000-500,000 deaths per year
• In US 36,000 deaths per year
• 200,000 hospitalizations
• 37.5 billion in economic costs

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Pandemic Human Influenza

• 1918 Spanish Flu (H1N1) 50-100 Million deaths
• 1957 Asian Flu (H2N2) 2 million deaths
• 1968 Hong Kong Flu (H3N2) 700,000 deaths

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INDUSTRY ACTIONS

• Getting ready for possible introduction into US
• increased attention to biosecurity practices to
  safeguard commercial flocks.
• Training and response planning to deal with
  emergencies
• Preslaughter serological testing of broilers to
  allay consumer concerns about AI status
• Communicating with customers, USDA, CDC, states

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PERSONAL PROTECTION

• Wash hands
• Dont put hands on face or eyes
• Cooking to 70 C (158o F)
• Freezing does not inactivate
• Normal strength chemical disinfectants inactivate
• Protect restaurant workers handling fresh poultry

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SCENERIO OF WORST POSSIBLE

• Commercial flock infected with severe poultry
  production and mortality losses
• Disruption of the industry due to quarantines
  associated with control efforts
• Could possibly overwhelm USDA and state disease
  efforts
• Sever negative impact on sales and exports
• Employee impacts and lay offs

24
CONSEQUENCES OF PANDEMIC

• Social disruption may be widespread
• Being able to work may be difficult or impossible
• Schools will be closed
• Transportation will be disrupted
• People will need advice and help at home

25
SCENERIO OF BEST POSSIBLE

• Virus enters but only in migratory waterfowl
• Unsheltered and small hobby flocks infected
• Because commercial flocks are housed and
  maintained they remain free

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FIREWALLS FOR PROTECTION

• All sick birds tested for AI
• Breeders constantly tested
• Ensure no imports infected
• Active monitoring of migratory bird populations
• Birds kept in enclosed housing, away from wild
  hatcheries
• Swift decisive response to an outbreak

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BIO-SECURITY RANCH PROGRAMS

• Restrict visitors on farms
• Post bi-lingual procedures
• No trespassing signage
• Footbaths at all house entrances
• Plastic boot covers and protective clothing
• Disinfection of vehicle tires
• Education of contract producers on other
  procedures
• Broiler testing 94 of industry participating
• Active surveillance of DOAs 1
• Make the facility as repulsive as possible to
  migrating birds

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BROILER TESTING

• Flocks tested no more than 2 weeks before market
  date
• Suspicious results quarantines and retests
• Confirmatory tests at state labs
• If tests confirm presence of AI in H5 or H7
• Kill house
• No chickens will enter the food supply

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ABOUT AN AI TASK FORCE

• Has to be top management
• Monitor domestic and international AI reports
• Reviews and disseminated bio-security and
  incident response policies and procedures
• Contributes to formulation of individual state AI
  bio-security and bio-containment plans
• Retains AI consultant and spokesperson
• Provide AI educational materials and training for
  employees and contract producers

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ABOUT AN AI TASK FORCE (cont.)

• Prepares formal AI statements for media and
  customers
• Acts as crisis management coordination committee
  if an AI outbreak occurs
• Directs all communication to media, customers and
  shareholders
• Serves as resource to CDC, USDA, US Poultry and
  Egg Export Council and state agencies in
  bio-security and response planning

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ABOUT THE NCC AI TASK FORCE

• Comprised of all major poultry companies
• Acts under authority of NCC Board of Directors
• Developed the enhanced testing program
• Researched consumer attitudes and response to key
  messages
• Developed media and communication plans
• Developed AI Web site with links to relevant info
• Contracted with two independent national
  spokesperson
• Dr. Sherrill Davison-Yeakel
• Mike Doyle

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ABOUT THE NCC SPOKESPERSON

• Communicates regularly with USDA CDC
• Met with Sec of Ag Johanns March 22
• Prepares and disseminates news releases and fact
  sheets
• Handles media inquiries for industry perspective
• Participates in public seminars (NRA, Poultry
  Summit

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ABOUT THE POULTRY AND EGG EXPORT COUNCIL

• Campaign to build consumer confidence and promote
  consumption in AI affected countries
• Work with individual country governments

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400 person survey in December 05

• Focus groups
• Very likely to continue to buy 67
• Majority think it will occur
• Most have not changed poultry consumption
• Industry prepared 66
• Most people believe its very important to tell
  customers
• Health officials are perceived as most believable
  source 52 think WHO or CDC best
• 12 think surgeon general
• Top offensive message not immediate threat, can
  be easily destroyed, proper cooking
• Assure consumers birds tested destroyed,
  contained, testing shows care and vigilance

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WHATS THE PLAN

• Detect and contain an outbreak
• Prevent or delay introduction into US
• Travel advisories
• Screening
• Isolation, quarantine
• Antiviral treatment and isolation of people with
  illness
• Quarantine for exposed people
• Social distancing closed schools
• Communicate, communicate, communicate

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WHATS THE PLAN - COUNTRYWIDE

• Expanded production of current (egg based)
  vaccine
• Evaluate dose-sparing technology
• Accelerate development of modern (non-egg)
  vaccines
• Provide a tool kit for companies
• 6 fold increase in monitoring Alaska fly-ways
• Plethora of info at www.pandemicflu.gov and
  www.fac.org

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Conclusions

• Better to be overly cautious now
• A threat anywhere is a threat everywhere
• Human pandemic could likely shut down the world
• Vaccine improbable resolution at this time
• Better be getting vaccine and adequate supplies
• Maintain bio-security and firewalls
• Engage in planning and preparation
• Industry must continue to work with government
• Support food industry with info and material to
  meet customer needs