Vilsack says bird flu scare may not be over
WASHINGTON — The deadly bird flu virus that devastated the poultry industry last spring and sent egg prices soaring could reappear, even though no new cases have been detected for months, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“It can happen at any time,” Vilsack said in a recent interview. “There obviously are times when (the risk) is higher and lower, but I think the testing and the vigilance has to be ongoing.”
It's been more than six months since the last case of avian influenza was found in a commercial flock-- in Wright County, Iowa in June. But Vilsack said there are concerns that the arrival of spring — when birds start flying north — will likely present the greatest risk for recurrence.
"Every day that goes by (without a bird flu finding) is a good day," he said.
Earlier this year, the disease destroyed nearly 50 million farm birds. Iowa, the nation’s largest egg producer, lost 31.5 million birds across 18 counties, including about 30 million laying hens and pullets and 1.1 million turkeys. The virus cost the state’s economy $1.2 billion through lost egg, chicken and turkey production, as well as lost wages and tax revenue, according to a study commissioned by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
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Bird flu: Are we prepared for its return?
The rapid spread of the virus posed a challenge that at times seemed overwhelming, as USDA and state officials struggled to quickly dispose of dead birds in the hardest-hit areas. Some poultry operations failed to closely follow biosecurity measures to help curtail the spread of the disease.
Since last spring, officials have studied what worked during the outbreak and what needs improving. Biosecurity efforts have been strengthened at poultry operations, and the USDA has stockpiled vaccines.
Many were bracing for the virus to recur when birds migrated south for the winter, but that apparently hasn't happened so far. John Clifford, USDA's chief veterinary officer. said in October that if the virus doesn't return by early January, “we probably should be in pretty good shape” before attention turns to the spring.
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Vilsack said the poultry industry and federal agriculture officials "together learned lessons."
"I think given the suddenness of this, it would be hard to be overly critical,” he said. ”Having said that, if it re-emerges, the test will be whether or not we learned from that earlier experience and whether we do any better job than before.”
The USDA spent about $1 billion on the outbreak. That included costs for surveillance, testing, cleaning, disinfecting and disposal as well as $200 million in indemnity payments helping farmers cover their losses. USDA has hired hundreds of veterinarians and other temporary workers to respond to any future outbreak and is working with state officials to take 41,000 samples from wild fowl through March.
Twitter: @cdoering
