By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia
The variety of avian flu found recently in two U.S. states
isn’t harmful to humans, say University of Georgia experts. And
occasional outbreaks of avian flu aren’t unusual.
“I hate to say it’s routine,” said Mike Lacy, head of the
University of Georgia poultry science department. “It pops up
occasionally and fortunately hasn’t been a human health concern
in this country.”
“Many Asian countries don’t have the kinds of regulatory
systems and control mechanisms we have in the United States,”
said UGA poultry scientist Dan Cunningham.
“Many of the flocks in Asia are what we call backyard flocks,”
Cunningham said. “Avian flu is very easily spread in that kind
of situation.”
Georgia, which produces more poultry than any other U.S. state,
tests every flock for avian influenza, he said. So far, the
state’s 1.4 billion chickens have been avian flu-free.
Fevers and snicks
Almost half a million chickens were slaughtered in Delaware and
Maryland last month. The avian flu strain, known as H7, doesn’t
affect humans and is relatively mild.
“Low-pathogenic avian flu is much like regular human flu (for
poultry),” Lacy said. “The chickens stop eating, decrease
activity and have respiratory symptoms such as sneezing and
coughing, called snicking. They act depressed because they just
don’t feel well.”
Chicken flocks are slaughtered when a low-path avian flu breaks
out because these flus can evolve into highly pathogenic flus
that can cause high death rates in poultry.
The particular strain of highly pathogenic in Asia is unusual.
In rare instances, it has infected humans who have come into
very close contact with diseased poultry. The disease isn’t
spread by eating chicken. You can get it only by contact with
live birds.
A highly pathogenic strain was found in a small flock in Texas
recently, Cunningham said. But quick eradication of the flock
seems to have isolated and eliminated the problem. Officials
have monitored other flocks around the infected flock and found
no more cases.
Preventing the spread
Avian flu can’t be completely eradicated because wild ducks and
geese have it. As long as they’re free to fly, avian flu will
keep showing up now and then.
There never has been a case of avian flu in Georgia poultry.
Fear of the highly pathogenic form has kept growers on high
alert, though. In 1984, an outbreak in Lancaster, Penn., caused
the slaughter of millions of chickens, costing farmers and
shoppers alike.
“The concern is to be vigilant, so that if an outbreak occurs,
it’s contained as quickly as possible,” Cunningham said.
Georgia poultry producers maintain an aggressive monitoring
program to safeguard their birds and the public.
Cat Holmes is a news editor for the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
