Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 20, 2004 U.S. bird flu for the birds, not humansWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Avian influenza found a way into the United States earlier this month when a flock of chickens in Delaware tested positive, but a Purdue University poultry specialist said farmers and the public shouldn't be alarmed. "I think the public should be aware of avian influenza," said Todd Applegate, assistant professor of animal science. "However, they shouldn't be worried that this will cause a pandemic." Applegate urged poultry producers to do surveillance checks on their birds for the influenza. In 2003 Indiana, which is a leading poultry producing state, ranked fifth in the nation in chickens produced and seventh in turkeys produced. Avian influenza (AI), commonly called bird flu, can affect turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks and a variety of other birds. The influenza comes in many strains that differ in severity, with the two common strains being H and N. The strain that has sickened birds in Asia is H5N1, which can be transmitted from infected birds to humans. No official cases have determined transmission from human to human. The bird flu strain discovered in Delaware is an H7 type, a strain that has never infected humans. Nonetheless, China, India, Hong Kong, Mexico and other foreign trading partners have banned poultry imports from the United States, and Delaware specifically. Those countries fear that the strain could become highly pathogenic. Birds infected with AI show a range of symptoms such as lack of energy and appetite, decreased egg production, nasal discharge, coughing and sneezing. Livestock producers also might notice purple discoloration and swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles and hocks. "Many times birds won't exhibit any signs of sickness, but they'll suddenly die due to AI," Applegate said. The disease is hard to control because the epidemic is found in wild fowl and migratory birds. Eradicating the virus would be like trying to eliminate flu viruses that affect people every year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). More information about avian influenza can be found on the APHIS Web site. The Delaware case isn't the first low-pathogenic bird flu outbreak in the United States. In 2002 poultry farms in Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia had an outbreak of AI that spread throughout the Shenandoah Valley poultry production area. Nearly 1.5 million birds were destroyed, and poultry farmers suffered $160 million in losses. Writer: Molly Brock, (765) 494-9558, brockml@purdue.edu Source: Todd Applegate, (765) 496-7769, applegt@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Note to Journalists: Until March 6, Todd Applegate may be reached for comment at applegt70@yahoo.com
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