Disease Update in Brazil

According to a letter sent by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) dated June 8, 2005, the respiratory disease affecting some broiler operations in Jaragauri, Mato Grosso de Sul state, has been identified to be non-pathogenic Newcastle disease. LANAGRO, the National Animal Agriculture Lab in Campinas, has confirmed the testing. The OIE requires a notification of Health Emergency only when the Index of Intercerbral Pathogenicity (IICP) results are 0.7 or higher and the lab analysis results were 0.41.

However, LANAGRO is still investigating as the non-pathogenic Newcastle could not have caused the mortality it did on its own without other factors being involved. Further Avian Influenza tests have proven negative, and all quarantine and biosecurity measures imposed are still in effect for the area. No other farms have been infected. In May, a flock of 17,000 birds was culled after seeing high mortality rates. Newcastle disease was initially suspected, so OIE and national authorities were notified and emergency response actions were taken. There should not be any adverse affects felt by the world's largest chicken exporter, Brazil, as a result of this disease situation. Prior to this report there was some speculation over whether the disease was Newcastle disease or Avian Influenza.
Source: Watt Poultry/Various News Wires

Avian Influenza in China

On June 10, 2005 the U.S. Embassy was notified by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) of an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) - H5N1 in geese in Xinjiang province, which is located in the Western part of China. The OIE was notified of the outbreak on June 8, 2005. The National Avian Influenza Reference Lab confirmed the disease June 7, 2005.

The infected birds were found on a backyard farm in the Tacheng district, Tacheng city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Chinese Government has taken measures to control the disease such as isolation, sterilization, the culling all poultry in the infected area, disinfecting, and the vaccination of all birds around the area. There were 2,177 susceptible and 460 infected birds. A total of 13,457 birds were destroyed. The source of the outbreak is still being investigated. The disease is under control according to authorities.

AQSIQ has suspended all exports of live poultry or poultry related products from the infected area, except for heat treated processed poultry products such as cooked poultry meat, poultry meat, and bone meal; egg products like preserved eggs, salted eggs, and egg powder; down products such as down jackets, down quilts, washed down or feather complying with national standards, and poultry feather meal.

In addition, AQSIQ will be stepping up their supervision and quarantine inspection procedures of production, processing, and transportation of exported live poultry and poultry products in non-infected areas, as well as conducting more strict surveillance and control of bird flu on relevant export-oriented poultry farms. China plans to cooperate closely with the U.S. So far no quarantine measures have been taken against China's commercial poultry industry.

At present, it is unclear what impacts will be felt by China's poultry sector. Xinjiang only slaughters about 74 million birds annually, accounting for about 1 % of China's total annual slaughter. Xinjiang is not a main poultry producing province in China.

This is the second time in three weeks that China has reported to the OIE on an HPAI outbreak. On May 21, 2005, China reported an outbreak of HPAI - H5N1 in migratory waterfowl in Qinghai province, which is located in the central part of China and adjacent to Xinjiang province. After tests came back positive for H5N1, China ordered emergency measures to prevent an outbreak of AI in Qinghai province. More than 1,000 migratory birds were found dead.

Nature reserves were quickly closed, people were prohibited from visiting migratory bird habitats, and the public was told to avoid contact with poultry. Three million doses of vaccine were rushed to the area to inoculate domestic poultry and quarantine measures were put in place. Prior to this, China's last reported outbreak of AI was in June of 2004.
Source: USDA FAS/OIE/Various News Wires

South Africa Bird Flu Update

The OIE received confirmation of South Africa's second outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in ostriches on June 6, 2005. The last confirmation date of the disease was December 1, 2004 in the Eastern Cape Province and was reported to be eradicated and disinfected on January 13, 2005.

Presently, the source and initial start date of the disease are unknown, and all other poultry species have tested negative thus far. The new outbreaks are located in both the Western and Northern Cape Provinces.

In the Western Cape Province, 124 of the 749 ostrich farms tested positive for H5 antibodies compared to just one positive farm in the Northern Cape Province. In both cases, no direct observations were made, and all Virus Isolation and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests had negative results. However, positive results were received from the Haemagglutination Inhibition (HI) tests. The farms were placed under quarantine and will be kept under serosurveillance and continually tested. Currently, controlled slaughter is permitted on the seropositive farms as long as the PCR tests continue to be negative.
Source: OIE

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Source: USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service - 14th June 2005