Testing continues; hopes are high for 'free' status

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

March 4, 2004 -- State and federal animal health investigators are continuing the testing of fowl within a 10-mile radius of the Gonzales farm where poultry was found to have avian influenza. As of Monday morning press time, no new cases of the flu have been found, according to Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials.

Investigators are also continuing to pinpoint the source of the bird flu which was first confirmed on Feb. 20.

During a Feb. 25 teleconference, Dr. Bob Hillman, TAHC's executive director, pointed out that the state's poultry industry has an "excellent biosecurity measure in place" to protect the $1 billion a year business.

"The major concern of the commercial operations now is how quickly we can resolve this," Hillman said.

It's too early to call the situation "isolated," Hillman said during the Feb. 25 teleconference. A total of 250 premises with poultry had been identified in the 10-mile radius and testing was under way. As of Feb. 25, no new cases of AI had been detected. (Some test results were not back from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.) "I'm hopeful this can be short-lived. ... I don't want to predict if we'll see others infected or not."

Because of the AI outbreak in Gonzales County, several countries and the European Union have imposed bans on U.S. chickens, turkeys, eggs, and other products. Russia, China, and Japan had already imposed some trade bans on U.S. poultry and poultry products after a low-pathogenic variety of AI was found in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

On Feb. 25, Hillman said specific steps to gain a "free" status from the disease were being discussed.

"The important action to prevent the spread of this avian flu has already been taken," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief veterinary officer, "and that's to depopulate the flock."

Hillman said that when the Gonzales poultry owner noticed an unusual number of death loss in his flock, he contacted authorities to report the situation, and told them about some of the chickens being taken to live bird markets in Houston. Hillman said about 250 to 300 birds died at the farm, and when the AI strain was detected, another 6,600 birds were killed. The few birds that were at the live markets, which could have commingled with the AI-infected birds, were also depopulated.

And, unlike monetary programs which compensate a livestock owner for animals that have to be slaughtered for disease control, in Texas, there is no state indemnity funds for poultry growers. "There is a chance, however, that the USDA may have some indemnity money, but that remains to be seen," said a TAHC spokesperson.