[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]USDA releases a preparedness and response plan to combat future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza[/title][fusion_text]Monday, September 21st 2015
USDA today released a preparedness and response plan to combat future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which decimated commercial chicken and turkey flocks in the Midwest earlier this year. The 19-page plan, prepared by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, notes that biosecurity efforts at poultry farms, including limiting visitor traffic and providing boot-washing stations, have been strengthened; surveillance efforts of wild bird populations, which serve as a reservoir of the HPAI virus, have been increased; and state and industry response capabilities have been improved. Additionally, response teams are better organized, and now have better training and IT support. APHIS also says it is preparing for the possible use of vaccines, which were not available in any significant amounts at the start of the recent outbreak, and that it has improved its capacity for depopulating infected flocks and streamlined the process by which farmers are indemnified for losses. In August, APHIS put out a proposal for private sector manufacturers to develop a vaccine that could be ready for fall or winter. A number of vaccines are under development and APHIS said USDA may choose to select one or more for stockpiling. APHIS said it intends to use vaccines as “a possible adjunct to, and not as a replacement for, a future eradication effort.” A decision on whether to deploy vaccines will depend on the extent of the outbreak, the sectors of the industry being affected, and the possible effects on international trade. The government’s depopulation strategy may prove to be the most controversial part of the plan. APHIS says there is common agreement that depopulation of an infected facility within 24 hours of an HPAI diagnosis is “optimal” to reduce the risk that the disease will spread. Additionally, it said rapid depopulation is necessary to spare birds from suffering death from HPAI. Still, it said while standard methods including use of a deadly foam or CO2 are preferred, sometimes it may be necessary to use a method known as “ventilation shutdown.” The USDA response plan was released on the same day that the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee asked the department for more information regarding its efforts to prepare for a possible return this fall of the HPAI outbreak.
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