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Ohio Poultry Owners Advised to Increase Biosecurity as Virus Spreads in Western U.S.
By Sam Custer
OSU Extension Darke County
Three worrisome strains of avian flu have been detected in birds out
West. These viruses can cause serious disease in birds, and their
appearance has prompted poultry veterinarians at The Ohio State
University to recommend that Ohio’s commercial producers and backyard
chicken enthusiasts alike take precautions to protect their flocks.
The strains are related to a virus that circulated in Asia and Europe
in 2014. In December 2014, they were detected in the Pacific Migratory
Bird Flyway, in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho and Nevada.
These viruses are classified as highly pathogenic, meaning they are
extremely infectious and fatal for birds.
Migratory birds appear to be playing a role in spreading the virus,
said Mohamed El-Gazzar, poultry veterinarian for Ohio State University
Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food,
Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
It’s important to note that these strains are not considered a human
health concern, said El-Gazzar, who is also an assistant professor in
the College of Veterinary Medicine. This has been strictly an avian
disease outbreak — human illness has never been reported in relation to
this outbreak in North America, Europe or Asia, and poultry products
such as chicken and turkey are safe to eat.
Still, producers and poultry owners should take all necessary measures to protect their birds, El-Gazzar said.
According to the Ohio Poultry Association, the state’s poultry
industry, including egg, turkey and chicken production, is valued at
$786 million. Ohio ranks second in the nation in egg production and
ninth nationally in turkey production.
Earlier this month, El-Gazzar and colleague Richard Slemons, professor
emeritus in the College of Veterinary Medicine, sent a notice to
producers through Ohio State’s Ohio Veterinary Newsletter.
“The first thing is to try to avoid direct contact between any domestic
or captive type of bird and wild migratory birds,” El-Gazzar said.
“Producers are generally very good about protecting their birds, but
they need to be aware that there’s an increased risk.”
Backyard poultry owners should consider keeping their birds in enclosed
covered runs for the next several months or until the threat from the
viruses passes, he said.
Poultry owners should not be complacent about these viruses even though
they have not been detected in the Midwest, El-Gazzar said.
Samples from wild birds collected during the recent hunting season have
not yet been analyzed, and few additional samples will be collected
until summer. So, although there is no evidence that these viruses
might be circulating in Ohio, authorities can’t be certain the Buckeye
State is completely free of them, he said.
“Dr. Slemons has had a very successful program surveying the
Mississippi and Central flyways for the past 20-25 years,” El-Gazzar
said, noting that Ohio is part of the Mississippi flyway. “He’s the
influenza surveillance expert, and even in his opinion, surveillance is
always behind.
“So, while we don’t think there are these highly pathogenic viruses in the Mississippi flyway, we don’t really know for sure.”
Anyone who keeps or breeds raptors should also be aware of these
viruses, as they have been detected in birds of prey out West, too,
El-Gazzar said.
Other precautions El-Gazzar recommends include:
In addition to avoiding direct contact between migratory and domestic
birds, it’s important to prevent indirect contact, as well. “For
example, if there’s an open body of water nearby that attracts wild
birds, don’t go out, potentially step in fecal material, and then come
back to your birds and transmit an infection,” he said.
Protect birds from other poultry populations. “We don’t encourage
mixing flocks, mixing ages or mixing species,” El-Gazzar said.
“Visitors to your bird flock, whether they’re from the neighborhood or
from other farms, are highly discouraged.”
Commercial producers or backyard poultry owners should boost insect and
rodent control efforts. “Make sure your houses are animal-proof, so
that raccoons, opossums or any varmints can’t get in, and bird-proof so
that wild birds can't get in.” Such biosecurity measures also include
keeping feed and water clean.
It’s especially important to protect domestic birds from wild duck
populations, El-Gazzar said, because they often don’t show any signs of
disease even if they are carrying the virus.
“If you’re a poultry owner and have ducks and chickens and turkeys in
the same flock, that is a highly risky situation,” El-Gazzar said.
“Particularly if ducks are involved, that requires increased
biosecurity for the time being.”
Even if poultry owners cannot isolate their flocks from migrating birds
and other poultry species, it’s at least important to be aware of the
increased risk of the virus, El-Gazzar said.
“At the first sign of a problem, alert authorities so things can be
checked out,” he said. “If you notice increased mortality in an
alarming manner, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture. They will
speak with you and determine if what you’re seeing matches the pattern
of the highly pathogenic influenza.”
The animal disease hotline at ODA is 800-300-9755 or 614-728-6220.
Updates on the Pacific flyway avian influenza outbreak is online at the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service website, at www.aphis.usda.gov. For additional information on
poultry biosecurity measures, see the service’s poultry biosecurity
website at
www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/biosecurity/basicspoultry.htm.
OSU Extension also has a fact sheet, Biosecurity for Poultry, online at
ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0009.html.
“We’re not trying to scare anybody,” El-Gazzar said.
“Currently we don't have any problems with this group of viruses here
in Ohio, that we know of.
“We’re just saying be aware of the problems out west, which might
represent some risk to the Ohio poultry producers and backyard poultry
owners. Just be aware and do everything you can to protect your birds.”
For more information about OSU Extension, Darke County, visit the Darke
County OSU Extension web site at www.darke.osu.edu, the OSU Extension
Darke County Facebook page or contact Sam Custer, at 937.548.5215.
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