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Bird flu surveillance increased to meet world requirements
18 May 2006
Biosecurity New Zealand has increased its surveillance for avian influenza to meet new World Organisation for Animal Health standards.
Surveillance and incursion response team manager Ron Thornton said the organisation had changed its specifications.
He said previously the industry had relied on passive surveillance, but now "we have to do surveys to prove we haven't got it (bird flu)".
Spokesperson Helen Keyes said the comprehensive surveillance programme would include layer flocks, broiler flocks, breeder chicken flocks, backyard chicken flocks, ratites, farmed ducks and geese, game birds and wild birds.
New Zealand is part of a global network contributing to knowledge on avian influenza and early warning and detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Mr Thornton said the threat of pathogenic avian influenza entering the country remained low and the increased surveillance was purely to meet requirements.
He added most strains of avian influenza virus do not cause disease in birds and are not of human health concern.
Strains of avian influenza are categorised as highly pathogenic or of low pathogenicity on the basis of the severity of clinical signs in chickens.
Low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses may cause mild or no clinical disease in birds, but are harmless to humans.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of worldwide concern at present is the H5N1 strain.
This is because of the number of countries affected at the same time, the level of human exposure due to the size of the outbreaks, and the wider range of birds, and also mammals, affected, Ms Keyes said.
No highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has ever been found in New Zealand, but strains of milder low pathogenicity avian influenza have been found in wild bird populations.
18 May 2006
Biosecurity New Zealand has increased its surveillance for avian influenza to meet new World Organisation for Animal Health standards.
Surveillance and incursion response team manager Ron Thornton said the organisation had changed its specifications.
He said previously the industry had relied on passive surveillance, but now "we have to do surveys to prove we haven't got it (bird flu)".
Spokesperson Helen Keyes said the comprehensive surveillance programme would include layer flocks, broiler flocks, breeder chicken flocks, backyard chicken flocks, ratites, farmed ducks and geese, game birds and wild birds.
New Zealand is part of a global network contributing to knowledge on avian influenza and early warning and detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Mr Thornton said the threat of pathogenic avian influenza entering the country remained low and the increased surveillance was purely to meet requirements.
He added most strains of avian influenza virus do not cause disease in birds and are not of human health concern.
Strains of avian influenza are categorised as highly pathogenic or of low pathogenicity on the basis of the severity of clinical signs in chickens.
Low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses may cause mild or no clinical disease in birds, but are harmless to humans.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of worldwide concern at present is the H5N1 strain.
This is because of the number of countries affected at the same time, the level of human exposure due to the size of the outbreaks, and the wider range of birds, and also mammals, affected, Ms Keyes said.
No highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has ever been found in New Zealand, but strains of milder low pathogenicity avian influenza have been found in wild bird populations.
