Detection | Vaccines | Prevention | Preparation | Recommendations

Poultry Cullings

Cullings have to date, been the single most effective way to control the spread of bird flu. They have been undertaken by various governments at different times to prevent or end epidemics throughout the world. Listed below are chief outbreaks of bird flu that have called for the need to slaughter entire poultry populations within infected regions:

1983 - In Pennsylvania, USA, 17 million birds were culled after a 6-month circulation of a H5 virus.
1997 - In Hong Kong, China, 1.5 million birds were slaughtered following the first case of H5N1 bird-to-human infection.
2003 - In British Colombia, Canada, 19 million birds were culled due to H7N3 circulation in poultry, causing 2 cases of human H7N3 infection.
2005 - In North Korea, an estimated 200 000 birds were culled as of April 2005 subsequent to the spread of a H7 bird flu subtype.
2003+ - Continuing since 2003, Asia and parts of Europe (Turkey, Romania, Croatia) have been experiencing a radical onset of H5N1 infections both in poultry and people. Estimated figures of bird cullings are simply given as hundreds of millions to date and 206 (as of 5/5/06) people have so far been infected.

A common and more humane method of culling has been to suffocate poultry with carbon dioxide and is preferably undertaken within a day of initial virus detection in bird populations.

Outbreak Observations

Observation is an essential key to preventing possible pandemic. The World Health Organisation’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Program incorporates an intelligence network to gather information on potential outbreaks from across the globe. In particular, the Global Public Health Intelligence Network allows for the collection of data from informal sources as well as those from governments and official organisations. Close observation of outbreak situations is a key step for experts to devise prevention strategies and campaigns.

On a national, state and local level, poultry farmers play a very large role in detecting disease within infected flocks. Examining poultry for bird flu symptoms and sending samples to certified centers for verification in a timely manner can prevent delayed detection. Many countries have set up free hotlines for the reporting of suspected cases as a part of bird flu surveillance programs initiated by the various governments. Listed below are the bird flu hotlines of various countries to report suspected cases of avian influenza or request further information regarding the virus:

Singapore: 1800-2262250
Australia: 1800 004 599
US: 1-866-536-7593
Canada: 1-800-484-8302
Hong Kong: 1823

Quarantine

The Macquarie Pocket Dictionary defines quarantining as the system of measures carried out by a public authority at ports etc. for preventing the spread of disease. Quarantine programs targeted at both people and birds are a principal step in reducing the chances of a global pandemic.

Procedures for quarantining differ from country to country, but are generally carried out prior to as well as after exportation in the case of birds. Authorized quarantine facilities exist in each country that are qualified to carry out programs over a set period of time, using sentinel chickens to test for the presence of bird flu viruses. Sentinel chickens are extremely vulnerable to disease and would contract viruses even if the quarantined flock only hosted, but didn’t fall ill from the virus.

Travelers returning from bird flu incidental countries who display symptoms of avian influenza (primarily high temperatures detected by infrared thermometers) are also quarantined and tested for bird flu.

Quarantining also occurs for areas in which bird flu is detected among domestic flock. Poultry farms that have been infected by avian influenza are generally blocked off by means of roadblock within a specified radius, usually a matter of kilometers from a certain point. During the quarantine period, infected poultry are slaughtered, others are vaccinated and samples are taken for laboratory testing. Such activity normally lasts until there are signs of complete disease eradication within the area, meaning no new cases of infection and satisfactory prevention measures against further outbreaks.

Import Restrictions

Preexisting animal importation restrictions are almost undoubtedly present for every country, but these have tightened globally following the warnings of a possible bird flu pandemic early in 2004. In Europe, where bird flu outbreaks threaten the poultry market with a consistent spread of H5N1 avian influenza from Asia, firmer measures have long been taken.

Earlier, the European Union enforced a ban on the importation of captive live birds other than poultry imported for commercial purposes into any of the EU countries following the risk assessment of EU veterinarians. Effective from October the 25th 2005, the ban was due to expire on November 30, but was later extended to January 31st 2006 after experts decided such measures were necessary to prevent H5N1 spread. Since Romania, Croatia and Greece became the first European additions to the list of H5N1 affected countries, the UK also recorded cases of bird flu detection in a quarantine centre located in Essex, raising alert that the virus could spread over Europe.

The US also previously implemented bans against the importation of all birds and bird products from 8 Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam) that lasted from the 5th February 2004 to the 25th October 2005. This was implemented as a response to the H5N1 outbreak in Southeast Asia near the beginning of 2004. A provisional ban was then executed against bird imports from British Colombia, Canada, in late November 2005 following the diagnosis of a British Colombian duck for a H5 subtype bird flu virus. As at June 27 2006, following a number of outbreaks in poultry around the world, the importation of poultry or poultry products are prohibited from the following countries:

o Afghanistan
o Albania
o Azerbaijan
o Burkina Faso
o Burma (Myanmar)
o Cambodia
o Cameroon
o China
o Denmark (USDA - defined restricted zone only)
o Djibouti
o Egypt
o France (USDA - defined restricted zone only)
o Gaza and West Bank
o Hungary (USDA - defined restricted zone only)
o India
o Indonesia
o Israel
o Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire)
o Japan
o Jordan
o Kazakhstan
o Laos
o Malaysia
o Niger
o Nigeria
o Pakistan
o Romania
o Russia
o South Korea
o Sudan
o Sweden (USDA - defined restricted zone only)
o Thailand
o Turkey
o Ukraine
o Viet Nam

Various other embargoes, endorsed by different countries, have been implemented at some stage on the import of live poultry from bird-flu infected countries - such as Russia’s ban on the importation of Ukrainian birds in late 2005 or the EU’s earlier decision to ban South-African ostrich imports following a H5N2 outbreak in South Africa. Restricting the movement of virus carrying birds has been undertaken as one of the key initiatives to averting both an epidemic and pandemic.