Multiple safeguards against avian influenza

There is a worldwide effort among governments, animal health authorities and food industries to prevent and eradicate avian flu. U.S. federal, state and local governments, working in coordination and cooperation with the private sector, are implementing multiple safeguards to minimize the risk of the virus. These steps include:

• International veterinary assistance. U.S. government veterinarians and animal health experts are helping affected countries in Asia and other regions of the world to prevent avian flu through disease management and eradication activities -- decreasing the chances that avian flu can spread to the United States.
• Import bans. At our borders, Department of Homeland Security inspectors prevent imports of live poultry and poultry products from countries that have any strain of avian flu. The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains trade restrictions on the importation of poultry and poultry products from countries currently affected by the highly pathogenic strain of avian flu.
• Testing, monitoring and response. Poultry growers are testing their flocks and if avian flu is ever found, the flock is destroyed immediately. For wild birds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Interior Department are conducting testing in migratory birds for an early detection system for avian flu. Federal and state governments, working with the poultry industry, have a response plan in place to eradicate avian flu in poultry quickly and effectively.
• Federal inspection. The meat and poultry industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States. The U.S. meat inspection system requires that poultry be inspected multiple times during processing. Veterinary inspectors check animals before and after processing, visually and physically examining more than 5 billion poultry carcasses each year. The system is designed to prevent an unhealthy animal from entering the food supply.

Government officials are working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other nations to help detect and contain outbreaks in birds and humans. The USDA continues to work closely with its federal, state and tribal partners and industry stakeholders to establish effective and coordinated emergency response plans to quickly contain and eradicate the disease in birds should an outbreak of avian flu occur in the United States.

The United States is also working with international organizations like the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Health Organization to assist affected countries with disease prevention, management and eradication activities. By helping these countries prepare for, manage or eradicate outbreaks, the United States can reduce the risk of the disease spreading from overseas.

In preparation for the possibility that the avian flu will mutate to a strain that is easily spread among humans and causing a pandemic, the U.S. is:

• developing a national stockpile of antiviral drugs to help treat and control the spread of the virus,
• supporting the manufacturing and testing of possible vaccines, including finding more reliable and quicker ways to produce large quantities of vaccines,
• and federal, state and local agencies are providing guidance and support to communities, businesses and organizations to plan for a pandemic influenza outbreak.

More information on what the industry is doing in preventing avian flu >>