• Submitted by: manso
• Editorial Articles
• 07 / 10 / 2011

---

I was surprised Thursday evening when I came across a brief news story at the business news site www.Bloomberg.com. The first sentence: "Hong Kong, Cuba, Guatemala, Singapore and Taiwan have halted poultry exports from Wright County, Minnesota, after cases of low-pathogenic bird flu were discovered, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

In Minnesota, every flock of live turkeys is tested by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Environmental Health Division (EH) before it goes to market. A random sample of healthy birds is tested for avian influenza as part of a national improvement program.

Really? This Wright County, just down the road?

[SPOILER ALERT: There is no public health threat caused by this particular case in Wright County. The turkeys are fine; humans are fine; there is no disease.]

So I started sending e-mails and that led to phone calls. It quickly became a much less exciting story.

Malissa Fritz, Communications Director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH), confirmed that the case cited on Bloomberg began in late May and is just winding up now.

In Minnesota, every flock of live turkeys is tested by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Environmental Health Division (EH) before it goes to market. A random sample of healthy birds is tested for avian influenza as part of a national improvement program. One producer with several locations turned up positive for antibodies to a low-pathogenic avian influenza type known as LPAI H7N9. (The presence of antibodies indicates possible exposure to this virus.) None of the turkeys tested had the virus, and none of the birds were sick.

Because some birds tested positive for the H7N9 antibody, EH was required to notify the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the USDA was required to notify OIE (Office International des Epizooties or World Organisation for Animal Health). In turn, OIE notified Minnesota trade partner countries. Some of these countries are much more strict than others, and all five of those banning turkey imports from Wright County have had bad experiences with some of the other varieties of
bird flu that can infect humans.

Meanwhile, back in Wright County, the quarantine response plan was implemented. The flock in which the H7N9 was detected was quarantined, as were all flocks within a three-mile radius. All farm workers who may have had contact with the flock were monitored, and all were fine and remained fine. The birds will be tested for six weeks before they are allowed to market, certifiably free of H7N9.

Perspective

Avian influenza, better known as "avian flu" or "bird flu," has been with us forever. So says Joni Scheftel, DVM, MPH, ACVPM, the State Public Health Veterinarian at the Minnesota Department of Health. Dr. Linda Glaser, Senior Veterinarian with the Minnesota BAH and former epidemiologist with the USDA, said Minnesota has been studying avian influenza for 30 years.

As Dr. Scheftel explained, nearly every species of animal has its own influenza, and each variant of the influenza virus has a preferred host. This is why horses are vaccinated against equine influenza, for example, but people are not at risk from that type of influenza.

The problem is in that tiny space where the different influenza viruses cross species and spread from one host animal type to another (including humans). Intermixing of virus types can lead to mutation of the viruses themselves. Rigorous testing by the Minnesota BAH keeps the H7N9 virus in check, and prevent that mutation into something more dangerous.

The avian influenza is carried by wild waterfowl: ducks, geese, and swans. They carry the virus but are rarely made sick by it.

Sometimes, albeit rarely, this avian influenza naturally found in waterfowl is found in domestic flocks of turkeys. It doesn't make them sick, and there is no evidence that it can cross to other animals (like pets) or to the humans who work with the turkeys or those who eat them.

A very different virus

The H7N9 virus found in Wright County in May 2011 (and in Meeker County in August 2009) is what health officials call a low-pathogenic virus. This means that it carries a very low threat of contagion and an even lower rate of spread across species.

The frightening stories we've seen in the news for several years now are the high-pathogenic varieties of the virus such as H5N1. These high-pathogenic viruses can spread from birds to humans and other animals, and they can pose a serious risk of pandemic.

Safety is assured

As frightening as it may seem, the response of all involved in the Wright County case, and the Meeker County case two years ago, provides an example of the effective system in place to protect food produced in the State of Minnesota.

"[The system] worked because it was a joint effort of state, federal, and producers," said Fritz whose department is in place to protect livestock in Minnesota.

"Our producers are top-notch," she added several times, lauding them for their total cooperation in the testing and response procedures that have been developed.

Source: www.kimballarea.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=13136