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Source: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_newcastle29.4a8101d.html
Deadly Newcastle disease outbreak in 2002-03 prompts heightened look at animal safety
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 28, 2008
By ALICIA ROBINSON and PAIGE AUSTIN
The Press-Enterprise
Five years after a deadly virus outbreak led to the killing of millions of birds in California, Deanna Wood is still distraught .
Wood sold her Mira Loma home and moved to Oregon after what she calls the "massacre" of her backyard pets -- two hens, a rooster and two ducks euthanized by a state/federal agricultural task force intent on protecting the poultry industry by stopping the spread of exotic Newcastle disease.
The Newcastle outbreak, which began around October 2002 and led to a quarantine not lifted until September 2003, altered the way agriculture officials handle avian disease.
Both state and federal agriculture departments recently rolled out changes in regulations on birds and how virus outbreaks are handled. Owners are being given a chance to save their pet birds, but the new policies do not displace euthanasia as the method of first resort in the event of contagion.
Wood no longer keeps birds but still worries about the potbellied pigs she took to her new home.
"I had nightmares that they were going to come and shoot my animals and just leave them to die while I was at work," Wood said by phone from Oregon. "When I go into town, I still come back and do a headcount on my pigs. That's how much this has affected me."
'Like Virus Factories'
The Newcastle outbreak crippled the poultry and egg industries in California and spread to four other states. State and federal agencies spent more than $160 million and euthanized 4 million birds in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Exotic Newcastle disease is not a threat to humans but can kill close to 100 percent of unvaccinated birds that catch it, according to federal data. It is less dangerous to vaccinated birds but can still result in a death rate of as much as 20 percent.
/B]Newcastle is highly infectious, which is why the task force quickly euthanized birds they suspected of carrying the disease, in many cases without testing.[/B]
Chickens and other poultry "are kind of like virus factories," said Dr. Annette Whiteford, who directs animal health and food safety for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "That was a big reason why there was much more risk in allowing an exposed chicken not to be euthanized."
The approach worked. Since the Newcastle quarantine was lifted, there has not been another outbreak.
But casting such a wide net ensnared many pet owners who criticized the task force's handling of the situation and thought the killing of their birds was unnecessary.
Task force teams would arrive with law enforcement, impervious to pet owners' pleas to spare their birds. The state began to offer counseling to pet owners and sensitivity training to workers after one couple's answering machine recorded a worker mocking the family's grief over losing pets.
"They choked a little girl's goose right in front of her. They made people watch while they murdered their pets," recalled Norco musician Sue Swallow, who became an activist on the issue and successfully fought an order to kill her 50 chickens, geese and ducks.
To help others save their pets, Swallow videotaped the task force at work, blocked its access to properties and lodged complaints. Her efforts brought a visit from FBI investigators, who accused her of terrorizing government workers. But she argues government workers' bungling made the outbreak worse.
"They tromped from property to property spreading the disease because they didn't disinfect their biohazard suits or their trucks," Swallow said.
Whiteford agreed that there were problems -- some workers were competent and sensitive, while others weren't. But the task force responded when people raised concerns, developing more training for workers, she said.
Security Measures
Now that officials realize how many backyard birds live in Southern California, Whiteford said, they have begun to target pet bird owners with health information at pet stores, on feed sacks, and at 4-H groups.
One of the most significant changes to the federal quarantine policy enacted last week is a provision for pet bird owners. At their own expense, bird owners in quarantined regions can board presumably healthy pets at a USDA facility for 30 days. After that time, healthy birds can be moved out of the quarantine area, said Dr. Glen Garris, director of the National Veterinary Stockpile.
That allows bird owners to protect their pets by removing them from an outbreak area while still allowing the government to contain the disease.
However, the definition of a "pet" bird doesn't include chicken, geese or ducks --some of the most common avian pets in the region. According to the USDA, birds such as parrots, parakeets or macaws are pets.
State and federal officials said that in spite of what they learned in the 2002-03 outbreak, they still won't necessarily test backyard flocks in infected areas before euthanizing them.
"I think we would be as conscientious as possible in dealing with the issue," Garris said. "But if there is a potential for that bird to have the disease and spread it to livestock over which we have authority, we would take that bird. Our mission is to protect agriculture in the United States."
The outbreak, which destroyed about 25 percent of Southern California's egg-laying flocks, left a legacy of stepped-up health measures and bird surveillance, said Doug Kuney, a University of California poultry farm advisor based in Riverside.
Many poultry farms forbid outside visitors and require any necessary guests to wear coveralls, hairnets and other protective gear. They also practice "biosecurity" -- hand washing, wearing protective clothing and disinfection of shoes and vehicle tires that could carry disease from one farm to another.
"The biggest change I've seen since the outbreak is the heightened awareness of biosecurity," said Gary Foster, general manager of regional egg producer Norco Ranch. "People are really the most dangerous vector for Newcastle."
Celeste Tittle, who raises exotic birds in Norco to sell as pets, already required visitors to step into a pan of bleach before setting foot on her lot. Now she gives the birds to buyers over the fence.
In spite of such lasting impressions, Whiteford worried that five years after the outbreak people will start to let down their guard. The message she and officials want to spread is one of continued attention to biosecurity.
"The key is detecting it early," she said. "It's like putting out a fire -- if it's small it's a lot easier to put out than if it's raging."
Reach Alicia Robinson at 951-893-2107 or arobinson@PE.com
exotic Newcastle Disease
Affects birds: A 2002-03 outbreak of the deadly avian virus left 3.1 million birds statewide either dead of disease or euthanized.
Regulations: Under a new federal rule, pet bird owners can remove birds from a quarantined area to place them in a federal facility for 30 days, then take them elsewhere if they prove uninfected.
Prevention: Agriculture officials advise washing hands and disinfecting shoes and clothes before and after handling birds or visiting where birds are kept. Know where a bird came from before buying it. If your bird appears sick, always call a vet.
information: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity
Deadly Newcastle disease outbreak in 2002-03 prompts heightened look at animal safety
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 28, 2008
By ALICIA ROBINSON and PAIGE AUSTIN
The Press-Enterprise
Five years after a deadly virus outbreak led to the killing of millions of birds in California, Deanna Wood is still distraught .
Wood sold her Mira Loma home and moved to Oregon after what she calls the "massacre" of her backyard pets -- two hens, a rooster and two ducks euthanized by a state/federal agricultural task force intent on protecting the poultry industry by stopping the spread of exotic Newcastle disease.
The Newcastle outbreak, which began around October 2002 and led to a quarantine not lifted until September 2003, altered the way agriculture officials handle avian disease.
Both state and federal agriculture departments recently rolled out changes in regulations on birds and how virus outbreaks are handled. Owners are being given a chance to save their pet birds, but the new policies do not displace euthanasia as the method of first resort in the event of contagion.
Wood no longer keeps birds but still worries about the potbellied pigs she took to her new home.
"I had nightmares that they were going to come and shoot my animals and just leave them to die while I was at work," Wood said by phone from Oregon. "When I go into town, I still come back and do a headcount on my pigs. That's how much this has affected me."
'Like Virus Factories'
The Newcastle outbreak crippled the poultry and egg industries in California and spread to four other states. State and federal agencies spent more than $160 million and euthanized 4 million birds in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Exotic Newcastle disease is not a threat to humans but can kill close to 100 percent of unvaccinated birds that catch it, according to federal data. It is less dangerous to vaccinated birds but can still result in a death rate of as much as 20 percent.
/B]Newcastle is highly infectious, which is why the task force quickly euthanized birds they suspected of carrying the disease, in many cases without testing.[/B]
Chickens and other poultry "are kind of like virus factories," said Dr. Annette Whiteford, who directs animal health and food safety for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "That was a big reason why there was much more risk in allowing an exposed chicken not to be euthanized."
The approach worked. Since the Newcastle quarantine was lifted, there has not been another outbreak.
But casting such a wide net ensnared many pet owners who criticized the task force's handling of the situation and thought the killing of their birds was unnecessary.
Task force teams would arrive with law enforcement, impervious to pet owners' pleas to spare their birds. The state began to offer counseling to pet owners and sensitivity training to workers after one couple's answering machine recorded a worker mocking the family's grief over losing pets.
"They choked a little girl's goose right in front of her. They made people watch while they murdered their pets," recalled Norco musician Sue Swallow, who became an activist on the issue and successfully fought an order to kill her 50 chickens, geese and ducks.
To help others save their pets, Swallow videotaped the task force at work, blocked its access to properties and lodged complaints. Her efforts brought a visit from FBI investigators, who accused her of terrorizing government workers. But she argues government workers' bungling made the outbreak worse.
"They tromped from property to property spreading the disease because they didn't disinfect their biohazard suits or their trucks," Swallow said.
Whiteford agreed that there were problems -- some workers were competent and sensitive, while others weren't. But the task force responded when people raised concerns, developing more training for workers, she said.
Security Measures
Now that officials realize how many backyard birds live in Southern California, Whiteford said, they have begun to target pet bird owners with health information at pet stores, on feed sacks, and at 4-H groups.
One of the most significant changes to the federal quarantine policy enacted last week is a provision for pet bird owners. At their own expense, bird owners in quarantined regions can board presumably healthy pets at a USDA facility for 30 days. After that time, healthy birds can be moved out of the quarantine area, said Dr. Glen Garris, director of the National Veterinary Stockpile.
That allows bird owners to protect their pets by removing them from an outbreak area while still allowing the government to contain the disease.
However, the definition of a "pet" bird doesn't include chicken, geese or ducks --some of the most common avian pets in the region. According to the USDA, birds such as parrots, parakeets or macaws are pets.
State and federal officials said that in spite of what they learned in the 2002-03 outbreak, they still won't necessarily test backyard flocks in infected areas before euthanizing them.
"I think we would be as conscientious as possible in dealing with the issue," Garris said. "But if there is a potential for that bird to have the disease and spread it to livestock over which we have authority, we would take that bird. Our mission is to protect agriculture in the United States."
The outbreak, which destroyed about 25 percent of Southern California's egg-laying flocks, left a legacy of stepped-up health measures and bird surveillance, said Doug Kuney, a University of California poultry farm advisor based in Riverside.
Many poultry farms forbid outside visitors and require any necessary guests to wear coveralls, hairnets and other protective gear. They also practice "biosecurity" -- hand washing, wearing protective clothing and disinfection of shoes and vehicle tires that could carry disease from one farm to another.
"The biggest change I've seen since the outbreak is the heightened awareness of biosecurity," said Gary Foster, general manager of regional egg producer Norco Ranch. "People are really the most dangerous vector for Newcastle."
Celeste Tittle, who raises exotic birds in Norco to sell as pets, already required visitors to step into a pan of bleach before setting foot on her lot. Now she gives the birds to buyers over the fence.
In spite of such lasting impressions, Whiteford worried that five years after the outbreak people will start to let down their guard. The message she and officials want to spread is one of continued attention to biosecurity.
"The key is detecting it early," she said. "It's like putting out a fire -- if it's small it's a lot easier to put out than if it's raging."
Reach Alicia Robinson at 951-893-2107 or arobinson@PE.com
exotic Newcastle Disease
Affects birds: A 2002-03 outbreak of the deadly avian virus left 3.1 million birds statewide either dead of disease or euthanized.
Regulations: Under a new federal rule, pet bird owners can remove birds from a quarantined area to place them in a federal facility for 30 days, then take them elsewhere if they prove uninfected.
Prevention: Agriculture officials advise washing hands and disinfecting shoes and clothes before and after handling birds or visiting where birds are kept. Know where a bird came from before buying it. If your bird appears sick, always call a vet.
information: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity