May 5, 2006

N.D. Animal Health Experts Provide Facts About Bird Flu

North Dakota animal health officials hope a fictional TV movie about the bird flu scheduled to air Tuesday, May 9, will raise awareness about avian and pandemic flu, not inspire fear.

Viewers need to realize the film is a movie, not a documentary, health officials say. It is a work of fiction designed to entertain, not a factual accounting of a real-world event.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has spread to birds in Asia, Europe and Africa and infected humans. However, it has not been found in North Dakota or elsewhere in the U.S.

Susan Keller, North Dakota state veterinarian, says the state is taking several steps to prevent the spread of H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. For example, poultry producers will be monitoring their flocks. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and North Dakota Game and Fish Department are collaborating on an effort to test migrating birds that stop in the state.

Also, Keller has ordered all birds imported into the state to have a certificate of veterinary inspection and an import permit number from her office.

Avian flu is normal in birds worldwide, and it generally affects only birds, according to Charlie Stoltenow, North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian.

“It’s rare that it can jump or move into another species,” he says.

Historically, birds, horses and swine are the most common species associated with the influenza.

Proactive monitoring and surveillance are the keys to controlling H5N1 if it enters the U.S., Stoltenow says.

He adds that purchasing birds from a reputable source is extremely important for anyone buying live birds. Worldwide, some of the spread of H5N1 has been associated with the illicit trade of smuggled birds.

Here is additional information about avian flu:

• Scientists have been monitoring H5N1 since 1996.
• Human deaths associated with H5N1 worldwide have remained stable in the last three years – 32 in 2004, 41 in 2005 and 37 so far this year.
• The U.S. does not import poultry from countries with outbreaks or even suspected cases of avian flu. Fresh poultry products sold in U.S. stores are produced mainly in the U.S. Some also comes from Canada.

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Source: Charlie Stoltenow, (701) 231-7522, cstolten@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ecrawfor@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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