Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MORONI, Utah (AP) -- Utah's farmers, health officials and wildlife experts say migrating wild birds pose little threat of transmitting a dangerous flu virus to Utah's poultry and people. But to be safe, they are also increasing monitoring and stepping up precautions this year.
On Friday, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will meet with leaders in business, health, emergency management, education and community and faith-based organizations to discuss ways to combat a potential pandemic of Asian avian flu. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt will outline the national agenda.
Much of the attention on the risks from migrating birds in the United States is focused on Alaska, where birds return from Asia each spring. But officials say certain birds passing through Utah also travel to Alaska each summer, and could pick up diseases there that they could bring back next fall.
A dangerous form of the avian flu first was detected in Asia eight years ago and has spread to Africa and Western Europe, causing the largest and most severe outbreak in overseas birds on record. The virus has infected at least 174 people, killing 95. Nearly all the human cases involved people exposed to sick flocks.
The fear is that the H5N1 virus may mutate and infect humans, who could then spread it person-to-person.
Terry Olsen, a director of veterinary services at Moroni Feed Co., told The Salt Lake Tribune that other avian viruses in Utah have historically been no threat to food and were incapable of spreading to people.
Nevertheless, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and the Division of Wildlife Resources have plans to protect the poultry industry. Wildlife officials are conducting more screening tests on migratory birds and agriculture workers are stepping up testing on domestic flocks.
In Moroni, Winston Cook raises more than 500,000 turkeys behind a "Keep Out" sign, and growers take precautions to prevent the spread of any disease between farms.
Cook inspects flocks at least once a day. Flu symptoms are not much different from those in humans: coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and sinus infections. Cook said he may not let turkeys outside this summer and may increase measures to keep out wild birds or marauding rodents that might spread disease.
In 1995, migrating waterfowl from Mexico mingled with flocks near Moroni, infecting turkeys with a mild flu strain. About 500,000 turkeys died or were culled. No humans were infected.
"We're watching for species that have Alaskan origins, but we don't expect to find much," said Tom Aldrich, waterfowl coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "We're also drafting a monitoring plan for swabbing and detecting bird flu this fall in swans, pintails and shovelers taken by hunters."
State veterinarian Michael Marshall said no lethal strains have ever been detected in any migratory flyway over the United States.
"Biosecurity is nothing new to us; we've had a system in place for more than a century," Marshall said. "People can be assured our food is and will be safe."
------
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
