Local officials prepared for bird flu

The disease has infected more than 200 people around the world since 2003, 60 since the beginning of this year. Cases have been reported in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Egypt.

Millions of birds across Asia and Africa have had to be killed due to infection from the highly contagious virus.

Even though the cases are thousands of miles away, local companies, specifically those in the poultry growing and preparation industries, say they are protected and prepared.

Willow Brook Foods processes hundreds of turkeys a day at its Springfield facilities. All are supplied through local commercial farms.

Company President Mike Briggs said the facility has taken many precautions and has a plan in place for the eventuality that the disease spreads to North America.

“The government has in place a security system where they’re routinely checking wild and migratory birds, so there’s a good system of surveillance,” Briggs said. “In addition to that, the poultry industry has pretty broad-based participation (in local surveillance programs) – about 98 percent of the turkeys and chickens are routinely checked as far as commercial flocks are concerned.”

Willow Brook participates in the National Poultry Improvement Plan, a program created by the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to assist poultry growers in detecting, treating and preventing poultry diseases.

Rose Foster, poultry health program coordinator for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, said the state also has a plan in place, both for the prevention of the avian flu and containment if it should spread to this area.

“The first response would be to euthanize the bird to keep (the virus) from spreading to other locations,” Foster said, adding that movement of animals also would be strictly controlled and the area where the case was found would be quarantined.

Previous cases of the avian flu have made a definite impact; a 1983 outbreak in the northeast cost the industry more than $65 million to contain. The industry, though, is learning – a potential outbreak in the southwest in 2004 was contained to a single flock.

As with most viruses, Foster said, the best cure is prevention.

“The best defense for this disease is to implement very strict biosecurity measures on the farm,” she said. “That includes keeping wild birds away from domesticated birds, restricting unauthorized people and vehicles, cleaning and disinfecting vehicles and footwear, isolating new animals for a couple of weeks to observe them before adding them into the flock, and, of course, notifying a veterinarian or animal health official if you suspect a disease problem.”

Briggs said he and other Willow Brook employees follow strict precautions about coming in contact with suppliers and their farms, especially after traveling overseas. Briggs has traveled to China with a Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce delegation.

“When I come back from China, I will not come in contact with any of our farms for a month,” Briggs said. “That’s a precaution that we’ve agreed to as an industry – when you make trips to those places, you don’t go on your farms until at least 30 days after your return.”

He also said that the disease hasn’t had a noticeable impact on potential employees – the company held its first jobs fair April 8, attended by more than 100 people.

Business recommendations

While the avian flu is not yet spreading among humans, and no cases have been reported in North America, health officials have recommendations for businesses to prevent spread of the virus if it should become a pandemic.

Several steps can be taken, including getting up-to-date information and having an emergency communication plan in place. Many of those recommendations are similar to preparedness steps for other types of disasters, according to Diane Smith, senior epidemiology specialist for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ southwest region.

“The first thing is to educate workers to be prepared and have a family plan,” she said. “That goes for any type of event or disaster – (workers) should have a way that they can assure their family will be taken care of, so they can come to work and know their family will be OK.”

She added that in times of pandemic flu, like any other illness, office hygiene is crucial – especially hand washing.

The flu is no joke: Figures from HSS show that a pandemic flu, without effective intervention techniques, could lead to more than 200,000 deaths and have an economic impact of more than $160 billion in the first year alone.

In the end, though, Smith said avian flu doesn’t currently pose a threat to humans – something that’s not the case with typical seasonal flu.

“In the midst of all the pandemic flu and avian flu talk and planning and media attention, let’s not forget seasonal flu, because it does take a high toll,” she said. “I don’t know if we would be so complacent about another communicable disease that caused 3,000 to 5,000 deaths in Missouri every year.”