Forwarded (with permission) from Dr. Juli Ponder at The Raptor Center
High-pathogenicity avian influenza (H5N2) was recently confirmed in a turkey flock in west central Minnesota. There have been several findings of this virus in the Pacific flyway since mid-Dec 2014, where it has caused losses in domestic and backyard poultry, wild waterfowl and captive raptors. The biggest impact of this disease is to the commercial poultry industry where depopulation has been successfully used to control the virus spread. Waterfowl, gulls and shorebirds are the natural reservoirs (carriers) of influenza viruses. Disease is rare in these birds although they can serve as a source of infection for domestic poultry in which the disease is devastating. Of interest, where raptors have encountered the virus (several falconry birds), it has been fatal. The health risk to the public is very low and there are no food safety concerns. Any risk of infection would be limited to people in direct contact with infected birds. Folks at The Raptor Center recommend the following general precautions o Do not pick up sick or dead wild birds without protective gloves o Do not use free-ranging waterfowl or shorebirds as food sources for birds in captivity. For avian food sources, we recommend sourcing poultry from NPIP facilities only. o As always, poultry products should be handled properly and cooked appropriately o Always wash hands after handling wild birds or live poultry MN BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH https://www.bah.state.mn.us/ USDA: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=avian_influenza.html OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/web-portal-on-avian-influenza/ CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/infectious-disease-topics/avian-influenza-bird-flu ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
