Avian Influenza: Agricultural Issues Page: 3 of 6
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CRS-3
The H5N1 outbreak is historically unprecedented and extremely challenging. The
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that over 200 million birds have
died or been culled. Some countries were reluctant to acknowledge the disease for fear
of economic consequences. In other countries, lack of compensation for farmers whose
flocks are destroyed has been a disincentive to report outbreaks early.
International Control Efforts.7 As H5N1 spreads, it may become endemic in
countries with low levels of veterinary services or animal husbandry practices that harbor
the virus. Chances increase that the virus will evolve through mutation or reassortment
into a strain that could be transmitted easily between humans. Thus, FAO and the World
Health Organization (WHO) developed a strategy calling for the swift and coordinated
control of avian flu in poultry as the best way to prevent or delay a human pandemic from
developing, by reducing the number of animal hosts in which the virus may evolve.
Transmission
Wild birds are the primary natural reservoir for Influenza A viruses and often are
resistant to the virus. Domestic flocks can be infected by contact with wild birds. Avian
flu is highly contagious in domestic poultry. The virus is spread by contact with infected
feces, nasal, or eye excretions. People, clothing, vehicles, and supplies can carry the
virus between farms. Thus, strict biosecurity measures are adopted by nearly all U.S.
commercial poultry farms.8 Confined poultry sheds prevent contact with wild birds.
Avian flu viruses have been common in live bird markets. These markets sell less
than 1% of U.S. poultry, but outbreaks concern commercial growers who practice tighter
biosecurity. USDA has focused on these markets because insufficient biosecurity allowed
birds and equipment to intermingle at the market and return to farms. In Asia, a large
network of live bird markets and backyard farms have made eradication difficult.
Human Infection.9 Certain avian flu strains, including H5N1, can infect humans
through close poultry-to-human transmission, usually through with fecal matter or other
live bird excretions in backyard settings or home slaughtering. However, the species
barrier is significant. The human disease caused by H5N1 causes rapid deterioration and
fatality from viral pneumonia and organ failure. Officials worry that the virus could
mutate or combine with human flu viruses to allow efficient human transmission.
Food Safety. No epidemiological evidence exists indicating that people have been
infected with any avian flu virus, including H5N1, from properly cooked poultry or eggs.
7 "A Global Strategy for the Progressive Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI),"
FAO and OIE, in cooperation with WHO, November 2005 [http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/
subjects/documents/ai/HPAIGlobalStrategy310ct05.pdf], and "Avian Influenza Control and
Eradication: FAO's Proposal for a Global Programme," FAO, Jan. 2006 [http://www.fao.org/ag/
againfo/subjects/documents/ai/GlobalProgramme_Jan06.pdf]. See also CRS Report RL33219,
U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu: Issues for Congress.
8 For biosecurity recommendations, see the USDA "Biosecurity for the Birds" website at
[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/birdbiosecurity/hpai.html].
9 For more on human issues, see CRS Report RL33145, Pandemic Influenza: Domestic
Preparedness Efforts, by Sarah A. Lister.
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Monke, Jim. Avian Influenza: Agricultural Issues, report, August 29, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc821889/m1/3/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.