Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is issuing an advisory regarding its planned Avian Influenza public reporting protocol.

With the increased surveillance efforts underway worldwide to detect the presence of the highly pathogenic strains of Avian Influenza, researchers to date have detected 12 cases of the common strain of AI in wild birds in six states (MI, MD, PA, MT, IL and OH).

As the expanded surveillance of wild birds for highly pathogenic avian influenza increases in the coming months, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Interior (DOI) expect additional detections of the "North American strain" of low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (LPAI H5N1).

Because these LPAI H5N1 detections are common and pose no threat to human health, USDA and DOI are transitioning to a new method of notifying the public. In an effort to maintain transparency, USDA and DOI will post all future suspected LPAI H5N1 detections on the Internet. DOI will maintain a list of all such routine detections as part of the National Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection Data System (HEDDS). The low path H5N1 detection list can be accessed at http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/LPAITable.pdf . A link also will be available on UDAF’s Avian Influenza Web page at: http://ag.utah.gov/pressrel/AvianFluInfo.html

In the event of a presumptive H5N1 test result involving a large number of sick or dead birds, or other circumstances that suggest the possibility of a highly pathogenic virus, the UDAF, USDA and DOI will issue a news release or conduct a technical briefing to notify the media and the public.

Low pathogenic strains of avian influenza occur naturally in wild birds and typically cause only minor sickness or no noticeable signs of disease in birds. These strains are common in the U.S. and around the world. Low pathogenic avian influenza viruses are very different from the more severe highly pathogenic H5N1 circulating in parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. Highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza spread rapidly and are often fatal to chickens and turkeys.

Commercial Poultry

In the event that either LPAI H5N1 or High Pathogenic AI is detected in commercial poultry, the UDAF, USDA and DOI will promptly call a news conference with the appropriate stakeholders, partner agencies, and the media to discuss the development.

For more information on Avian Influenza visit http://ag.utah.gov and click on “Stop Avian Flu.”

Posted October 30, 2006