Bird flu threatens non-stop 'war' on poultry

Bird flu has reached new corners of the globe and has become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, according to veterinarians and disease experts.

REUTERS spoke to more than 20 experts and farmers on four continents who said the prevalence of the virus in the wild suggests that record outbreaks in poultry farms will not ease anytime soon, increasing the threat to global food supplies. They warned that farmers should view the disease as a major risk throughout the year, rather than focusing on prevention efforts during the spring seasons of wild bird migration.

Virus outbreaks have increased in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, undefeated by summer heat or cold winters, as a strain that was genetically similar to cases in Europe and Asia arrived in the United States in early 2022.

On Wednesday, Argentina and Uruguay declared a state of emergency in the field of sanitation after officials confirmed the first cases of infection in these countries. Argentina has detected the virus in wild birds, and dead swans in Uruguay have tested positive for the virus.

Egg prices have set records after a disease wiped out tens of millions of laying hens last year, leaving a major source of cheap protein out of reach for the world's poorest populations as the global economy suffers from high inflation.

According to experts, wild birds are primarily responsible for the spread of the virus. Water birds such as ducks can carry the disease without dying and transmit it to the bird through contaminated feces, saliva, and other means.

Farmers' All Effort to Protect Flocks

Fails who entered the premises with the bird had to shower first to remove any traces of the virus, CEO Markus Rast said.

The company's farm in Weld County, Colorado, was infested twice within about six months, killing more than 3 million chickens, Rust said. He believes the virus was blown in from nearby fields where geese were defecating.

“We were trapped,” Rust said. "You're just tearing your hair out."

The United States, United Kingdom, France and Japan are among the countries that have suffered record poultry losses over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling at a loss.

“Avian flu occurs even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so all we can do now is ask God to avoid an outbreak,” said Shigeo Inaba, who raises MEAT broilers in Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo.

It was previously thought that poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were most at risk when wild birds were active during their spring migration. The skyrocketing levels of the virus in a wide range of waterfowl and other wild birds means that poultry are now at high risk all year round, experts say.

“This is a new war,” said Bret Marsh, veterinarian in Indiana, usa . "It's basically a 12-month vigil."

In a sign that the threat is expected to continue, Marsh is seeking funds from Indiana legislators to hire an additional veterinarian and poultry HEALTH specialist. Indiana has lost more than 200,000 turkeys and other birds over the past year, while the total U.S. bird death toll exceeds 58 million, more than the previous 2015 record, according to U.S. government data.

The virus is usually fatal to poultry, and entire flocks are culled when at least one bird tests positive for the disease.

Vaccination is not an easy solution: it may reduce but not eliminate the threat from the virus, making it difficult to detect its presence in the herd. However, Mexico and the EU are among those vaccinating or considering vaccination.

Global problem

Wild birds have spread the disease farther and wider around the world than ever before, probably carrying record amounts of the virus, said Gregorio Torres, HEAD of science at the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris, an intergovernmental group and the global organization for animal disease. The virus has changed from previous outbreaks to a form that is likely more contagious, he said.

"The disease is here to stay, at least in the short term," Torres said.

Torres was unable to confirm that the virus is endemic in wild birds worldwide, although other experts have said it is endemic in some birds in places like the United States.

While the virus can infect humans, usually those who come into contact with infected birds, the World Health Organization says the risk to humans is low.

The circulating form of the virus infects a wider range of wild birds than previous versions, including those that don't migrate long distances, said David Suarez, acting DIRECTOR of the Southeast US Poultry Research Laboratory in Georgia.

Such infections by "persistent" birds help the virus persist for a year, which has not happened before, he said.

Black vultures, which inhabit the southern United States and previously avoided infections, are now among the affected species, said David Stalknecht, director of the Southeastern Collaborative Wildlife Disease Research at the University of Georgia.

The virus has also infected mammals such as foxes, bears and seals.

“We should all believe in miracles,” Stalknecht said, “but I really don’t see a scenario where []\as would disappear.”

Crossing borders

High levels of the virus in birds such as blue-winged teal and ducks, which migrate long distances, have contributed to the spread of the virus to new parts of South America, Stalknecht said.

Countries including Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia have reported their first cases in recent months.

Ecuador declared a three-month animal health emergency on November 29, two days after the first case was identified, the country's agriculture and livestock ministry said. More than 1.1 million birds have died to date, according to the ministry.

Infections in Uruguay and Bolivia brought the disease close to Brazil, the world's largest exporter of chicken meat, where no cases have ever been confirmed. Brazil's agriculture minister, Carlos Favaro, said on Wednesday that the country was investigating three suspicious cases, but tests came back negative.

“Everyone is focused on preventing influenza from entering our country,” said Gian Carlos Zacchi, who raises chickens for the Aurora processor in Chapeco, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

Some experts suspect that climate change may be contributing to global spread by altering wild bird habitats and migration routes.

“The dynamics of wild birds have changed, and this has allowed the viruses that live in them to also change,” said Carol Cardona, an avian flu expert and professor at the University of Minnesota.

Farmers are using unusual tactics to protect poultry, experts say, and some are using machines that make loud noises to scare away wild birds.

In Rhode Island, Eli Berkowitz, an egg producer and chief executive of Little Rhody Foods, sprayed Lysol disinfectant on goose droppings on his farm's driveway in case it contained the virus. It also restricts visits to the farm by visitors, a more traditional precaution.

Berkowitz said he is preparing for March and April, when the migration season will pose even more risk to poultry.

“You better buckle up and hold on to your precious life,” he said.