Avian Flu - Washington State

[Mskayladog]

I meant I can't copy but took a picture

 

[Cluckadoodledo]

You would not want to copy a large PDF file on your phone. Too much data! That being said, as far as enforcement of poultry quarantines areas, it would depend on the circumstances. If you live in a quarantine area, you maybe able get a permit to transfer eggs out of the area if your chickens test healthy and you follow best bio-practices. These permits are sometimes issued to commercial poultry operations. If the Avian fowl in a quarantine area all test negative for Avian flu, a quarantine may be lifted after as little as two weeks. The gestation period for H5n2 is 21 days.

As far as willfully disregarding an avian flu (H5n2) quarantine area, I can't find any enforcement data addressing that. In other livestock and crop cases, fines of $1000.00 have been levied in the past. If a large commercial operation were to ignore a quarantine, all their livestock assets and property could be confiscated if they were found guilty.

That being said, agricultural rules are put in place to protect the health of the public, pets, crops and livestock. A good neighbor does not jeopardize the health of his neighbors poultry. Most people strive to do the right thing. The rules are a primer on best bio-practices. I found the information on poultry bio-practices quite informative. I've already made some positive house-keeping changes in my coop from the information I obtained on-line.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You would not want to copy a large PDF file on your phone. Too much data! That being said, as far as enforcement of poultry quarantines areas, it would depend on the circumstances. If you live in a quarantine area, you maybe able get a permit to transfer eggs out of the area if your chickens test healthy and you follow best bio-practices. These permits are sometimes issued to commercial poultry operations. If the Avian fowl in a quarantine area all test negative for Avian flu, a quarantine may be lifted after as little as two weeks. The gestation period for H5n2 is 21 days.

As far as willfully disregarding an avian flu (H5n2) quarantine area, I can't find any enforcement data addressing that. In other livestock and crop cases, fines of $1000.00 have been levied in the past. If a large commercial operation were to ignore a quarantine, all their livestock assets and property could be confiscated if they were found guilty.

That being said, agricultural rules are put in place to protect the health of the public, pets, crops and livestock. A good neighbor does not jeopardize the health of his neighbors poultry. Most people strive to do the right thing. The rules are a primer on best bio-practices. I found the information on poultry bio-practices quite informative. I've already made some positive house-keeping changes in my coop from the information I obtained on-line.

Where did you find the info I looked through the PDF and didn't find anything about house keeping unless I didn't look at the right place.

 

[Mskayladog]

With H5n1 being found in Washington state everyone should comply not doing so puts your own famioy at risk

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra0707279
Clusters of human influenza A (H5N1) illness with at least two epidemiologically linked cases have been identified in 10 countries and have accounted for approximately one quarter of cases.20,21,24,30-32 Most clusters have involved two or three persons; the largest affected eight. More than 90% of case clusters have occurred among blood-related family members, suggesting possible genetic susceptibility, although one statistical model indicated that these clusters might have occurred because of chance alone.33 Most persons in case clusters probably acquired infection from common-source exposures to poultry, but limited, nonsustained human-to-human transmission has probably occurred during very close, unprotected contact with a severely ill patient.20,30,32 In the largest cluster, transmission probably occurred from the index case to six blood-related family members and subsequently to another family member.32 Respiratory secretions and all bodily fluids, including feces, should be considered potentially infectious.


http://www.nature.com/avianflu/timeline/human_cases.html

 

[enola]

I am not looking for a way to get ar

 

[Cluckadoodledo]

Miss Lydia, I used the wrong term "bio-practices". The correct term is "bio-security". You can use your search engine and find a wealth of articles detailing bio-security measures as regards to poultry. I hope this helps.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Miss Lydia, I used the wrong term "bio-practices". The correct term is "bio-security". You can use your search engine and find a wealth of articles detailing bio-security measures as regards to poultry. I hope this helps.

Thanks Cluckadoodledo, I thankfully practice bio-security just thought there was something I may not have heard about especially in light of the avain flu being in the US.

Appreciate your time.

 

[Cluckadoodledo]

Mskayladog, The avian flu virus prompting the poultry Quarantine just East of Port Angles is the H5n2 strain. It is not contagious to humans and should not be confused with the H5n1 strain of flu virus you referred to in your post.

 

[Mskayladog]

H5n1 has been found in a wild duck. A different virus t then the one in Asia
http://www.theolympian.com/2015/01/23/3541546_third-strain-of-bird-flu-confirmed.html?&rh=1

Tests confirmed the H5N1 strain in a green-winged teal killed by a hunter near Sumas, said Hector Castro, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture.

Like the other two strains traced to wild ducks in Whatcom County in December, this one also is highly pathogenic. That means the strain is deadly to domestic chickens and turkeys.

This strain bears the same name as one that has infected 650 people in 15 different countries, mostly in Asia, since 2003, killing about 60 percent of them. Most of those infections occurred in people who had close contact with domestic poultry, and none of them occurred in the U.S.

Although the most recent strain found in Whatcom County is also named H5N1, it’s not considered dangerous to the general public because it’s not the same virus, officials said.

“The actual genetic makeup is way different,” than the Asian strain, said Donn Moyer, spokesman for the Washington state Department of Health. “This one is not alarming in that way because it’s similar to the ones (in Whatcom County) that haven’t caused illnesses.”

Testing was stepped up in Whatcom County after Canadian inspectors first confirmed the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain at two British Columbia poultry farms in the first week of December and subsequent sampling found the flu in wild ducks in Whatcom County.

As for the previous two cases in Whatcom County: One was a northern pintail duck, which died because of aspergillosis, a fungal disease that birds can contract from eating moldy grain in fields and farm yards. But the duck also carried a strain of bird flu similar to the one that caused the outbreak in B.C.

The other case here was a captive gyrfalcon used for hunting; it was fed a wild widgeon, a type of duck, by its owner. Testing showed an H5N8 strain of the virus in the gyrfalcon. The bird was one of four captive gyrfalcons fed the widgeon. All died afterward, but just one was tested.

Both the wild pintail and widgeon were traced to the Wiser Lake area.

Officials have said all three strains aren’t dangerous to the general public because none has infected a human being. Still, they advised those who have backyard flocks, for example, to use caution.

“It’s not a zero risk, but it’s not a major public health risk or threat,” Moyer said.

Wild birds, specifically waterfowl, carry the flu but don’t show symptoms. And officials continue to stress that bird flu hasn’t been found in commercial poultry in the U.S.

Meanwhile, agriculture officials continue to ask poultry owners in Whatcom County to have their birds tested. The voluntary testing of domesticated birds is meant to prevent highly pathogenic bird flu from taking hold in the county and spreading. Poultry owners can do so by calling 800-606-3056. It’s also the number to report domestic birds that are sick or dead.

No backyard flocks have been found to be infected with bird flu in Whatcom County, but cases have been found in backyard flocks in Clallam and Benton counties in Washington state as well as in Oregon and Idaho.

Poultry owners are being told to keep their birds separated from wild waterfowl.

Learn more by emailing [email protected] or calling the Avian Health hotline at 800-606-3056.

People can report sick or dead wild birds can be reported by calling 1-800-606-8768.

Reach Kie Relyea at 360-715-2234 or [email protected].

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2015/01/...f-bird-flu-confirmed.html?&rh=1#storylink=cpy
http://www.flu.gov/about_the_flu/h5n1/

 

[Cluckadoodledo]

Mskayladog,
Upon reading the above article, it's importamt to note that although the H5n1 strain found in the green winged teal near Sumas, WA bears the same name as the virus which is pathogenic to humans, it is not the same virus.

Quote from article:
Although the most recent strain found in Whatcom County is also named H5N1, it’s not considered dangerous to the general public because it’s not the same virus, officials said.
“The actual genetic makeup is way different,” than the Asian strain, said Donn Moyer, spokesman for the Washington state Department of Health. “This one is not alarming in that way because it’s similar to the ones (in Whatcom County) that haven’t caused illnesses.”
Testing was stepped up in Whatcom County after Canadian inspectors first confirmed the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain at two British Columbia poultry farms in the first week of December and subsequent sampling found the flu in wild ducks in Whatcom County.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2015/01/...e=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email#storylink=cpy​