Journal of Infectious Diseases & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Although avian influenza outbreaks occur periodically in poultry flocks, only recently we have considered avian influenza as a significant threat to human health and the global economy. The 1997 emergence of H5N1 first brought our attention to avian influenza�s ability to cause disease in humans. More recently the H7N9 virus was reported in China that causes severe respiratory illness resulting in death in about one-third of infected patients. Other avian influenza subtypes, including H7N7 and H9N2, have also infected people. The 2015 outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the United States illustrates the economic impact of an avian influenza outbreak. 219 detections of HPAI resulted in the death of nearly 50 million birds and a total economic impact of $3.3 billion dollars U.S. The longer these viruses remain in circulation, the greater their potential to mutation into forms that can cause disease in humans or increased pathogenicity in poultry. Testing near the turkey farm infected with HPAI H7N8 in Indiana this year revealed 8 additional farms with LPAI H7N8, suggesting that the virus mutated into a more lethal form as it spread. Historically, poultry carcasses have been disposed of by a variety of methods including burial, incineration, land-filling and more recently, composting. The success of the composting method during outbreaks in Delaware in 2004 and Virginia in 2007 resulted in composting being a key carcass disposal method during the 2015 HPAI outbreak. In Minnesota, for example, 108 of the 109 commercial poultry operations successfully composted their flocks. Animal carcass disposal remains a significant weakness in many nations� comprehensive national strategy for biodefense. While incidents of high consequence foreign animal diseases are increasing, response plans often lack comprehensive carcass disposal considerations. Now is the time to revisit and update foreign animal disease response plans.

Biography

Email: Gary.Flory@deq.virginia.gov