Egg Industry - December 2007

News for the Egg Industry Worldwide

December 2007/Volume 112 Number 12
H5N1 AI Unlikely to Hit U.S.
Industry News
AEB supports California Egg Battle
Biofuels will Hit All Sectors of the Food Chain
Continuous Egg Washing can Aid Food Safety
Good Future for Products in Russia
Denver Meeting Educates Executives on Egg Production
IPE and IFE Join Forces Again in Atlanta
Calendar
Marketplace

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H5N1 AI Unlikely to Hit U.S.

Global Avian Influenza Update 25 Nov 07

Confirmed Human Cases of Avian I nfluenza A/(H5N1) reported to WHO as of 12 Nov 2007 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total Country Cases/Deaths Cases/Deaths Cases/Deaths Cases/Deaths Cases/Deaths Cases/Deaths Azerbaijan 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 0 0 8 5 Cambodia 0 0 0 0 4 4 2 2 1 1 7 7 China 1 1 0 0 8 5 13 8 3 2 25 16 Djibouti 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 10 20 5 38 15 Indonesia 00 00 2013 5545 3833 11391 Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 3 2 LaoPDR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 Thailand 0 0 17 12 5 2 3 3 0 0 25 17 Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 4 0 0 12 4 Viet Nam 3 3 29 20 61 19 0 0 7 4 100 46 Total 4 4 46 32 98 43 115 79 72 48 335 206

Compiled by Dr. Cheryl R. Gustafson, Global Business Unit, Ft. Dodge Animal Health. The above table shows outbreaks of global avian influenza as of Nov. 25, 2007.

By Edward Clark, Editor

The highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI) strain that has caused so much havoc in Asia and Africa in recent years is unlikely to hit the Western Hemisphere, let alone U.S. shores, experts say.

“For it to come here would require very bad luck or it would have to be intentionally brought in,” says Steve Roney, senior staff veterinarian for the National Poultry Improvement Plan in Conyers, Ga.

One key reason why, he says, is that the strain everyone is concerned about— H5N1—has not been discovered in any wild bird populations that frequent Western Hemisphere flyways. Every year that goes by without an outbreak makes it less likely that one will occur, Roney says. “For it to come here would require illegal smuggling or have it be intentional,” he says.

Good news on the AI front, Roney adds,

is that it does not seem to be increasing globally, “It’s talked about less than it was a year ago.” He notes that there have been 300 cases in people in the past 10 to 11 years, which is actually quite low considering the level of outbreaks in birds and the intermingling of birds and humans in areas affected. “I’m not saying it’s not important, but it’s not a hugely important disease worldwide,” Roney says.

The odds are “very, very, very slim” of high path AI reaching the United States,

agrees John Brown, manager of veterinary services for Centurion Poultry Corp., Lexington, Ga. In addition, were an isolated case to occur, government and industry are well prepared “to clear it up.” He continues, “We’re in good shape for preparation on both a state and national level to react quickly to an outbreak.”

Brown says that were a case to occur in the United States, it would likely come here through other than legal channels. Brown adds that globally, H5N1 is down a little