On June 15, the USDA released a report containing Epidemiologic and Other Analyses of HPAI-Affected Poultry Flocks. The report outlines current findings on how the current strains of HPAI have entered facilities, an announcement from the APHIS stakeholder registry states ” After conducting investigations on over 80 commercial poultry farms, APHIS analysis indicates that there are likely several ways the virus could be transmitted, including lapses in biosecurity practices and environmental factors. APHIS cannot, however, associate HPAI transmission with one factor or group of factors in a statistically significant way at this time, and will continue to update this report regularly as more analyses are completed.”
The number of new cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detected in the poultry sector have begun to decline. While this is great news, it is expected that the U.S. will see a resurgence this fall. The Zoo and Aquarium All-Hazards Preparedness and Response (ZAHP) Fusion Center is working with the USDA at the highest levels to make sure the managed wildlife community is considered in any disease control decisions, and will notify our contacts as information becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage you to look over this information and discuss the findings and potential impact with your facility. Please direct any questions to your state veterinarian.
Note: The report linked to above was updated July 15, 2015 to include: “interpretation of data from 81 turkey flocks investigated for HPAI; preliminary results from a case-control study conducted in layer operations in Iowa and Nebraska; and, preliminary results of a study of wildlife near affected and unaffected premises.”