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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]FIVE PROBABLE CASES OF HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA IN OSCEOLA, O’BRIEN AND SIOUX COUNTIES[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Media Advisory:
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and USDA will host a press conference call at 3:15 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2015 to discuss the additional avian influenza cases in Iowa.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Call in number: 866-685-1580
Conference code: 5152818615[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]FIVE PROBABLE CASES OF HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA IN OSCEOLA, O’BRIEN AND SIOUX COUNTIES
CDC considers the risk to people to be low[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is responding to five probable cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry farms in Osceola, O’Brien and Sioux Counties in Northwest Iowa. These five new cases would join three confirmed cases of the disease in Iowa. State officials have quarantined the premises and if the initial test are confirmed, all birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Osceola County 2 – Pullet farm with an estimated 250,000 birds. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames. [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]O’Brien County 1 – Commercial laying operation with an estimated 240,000 birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]O’Brien County 2 – Commercial laying operation with an estimated 98,000 birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Sioux County 1 – Commercial laying operation with an estimated 1.7 million birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Sioux County 2 – Commercial laying operation with an estimated 3.8 million birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Iowa Department of Public Health considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have ever been detected there is no food safety risk for consumers.
The United States has the strongest Avian Influenza (AI) surveillance program in the world. As part of the existing USDA avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners as well as industry are responding quickly and decisively to these outbreaks by following these five basic steps: 1) Quarantine – restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area; 2) Eradicate – humanely euthanizing the affected flock(s); 3) Monitor region – testing wild and domestic birds in a broad area around the quarantine area; 4) Disinfect – kills the virus in the affected flock locations; and 5) Test – confirm that poultry farms in the area are free of the virus.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health are working directly with poultry workers at the affected facility to ensure proper precautions are being taken.
These virus strains can travel in wild birds without those birds appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard flock owners, should continue to practice good biosecurity, prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state/federal officials, either through their state veterinarian at 515-281-5321 or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.[/FONT]
