Backyard Biosecurity

1. Backyard Biosecurity Thomas Poole Guam Territorial Veterinarian

2. What Is Backyard Biosecurity? • Protecting your farms (birds) from disease. • The birds can become sick or die in great numbers from exposure to just a few “germs.” • In a single day these germs can multiply and infect every bird on that farm. • There is much that can be done to minimize the risk of disease in your flocks.

3. Restrict Access • Fence off birds – barrier between “clean” & “dirty” • Prevent wild birds and animals from coming in contact with contained birds. • Try to let no new person from outside come in contact with the birds. • Caretakers must be particularly careful to clean or change their shoes before entering.

4. Keep Areas Clean • Clean cages, food & water containers daily. • Remove dirty and manure before using any disinfecting agent. • Immediately segregate any sick birds. • Immediately and properly dispose of dead birds.

5. Don’t Haul Disease Home • Clean vehicles and tires thoroughly after visiting another farm area. • Quarantine any new birds for at least 30 days. • Quarantine for at least 2 weeks upon return any of your own birds that have left the farm. • Avoid mixing young and old birds.

6. Don’t Borrow Disease • Never share birds, tools, equipment, or supplies with neighbors who have birds. • If the items are brought home, clean and disinfect thoroughly. • Never bring wooden pallets or cardboard home – porous materials are impossible to sanitize

7. Background • Occurs worldwide; also called “fowl plague”. • Pathogenicity varies widely; LPAI, HPAI. • LPAI reduces quantity and quality of eggs and broilers. • HPAI runs you out of business. • What the disease don’t kill, vets will. • What is the reservoir? • Virus is moderately resistant in environment, survives awhile in wind-blown feathers and dust, survives __ days in cool water.

8. Recognize A.I. Disease • Sudden increase in number of dead birds. • Sneezing, coughing, nasal discharge. • Swelling around eyes and head. • Purple discoloration of wattles, comb, legs. • Watery diarrhea. • Poor appetite, puffy feathers, lethargic. • Drop in egg production or thin-shelled eggs. • Tremors, circling, twisting of head (END).

9. Report Sick Birds • Don’t wait. Report any unusual number of sick or dead birds. • Report to extension agent, government veterinarian, or local veterinarian. • Don’t be afraid of “crying wolf.” If it ends up being nothing unusual, we will always be grateful that you are alert.

10. Don’t Eat Dead/Dying Birds • Don’t eat dead/dying anything! Why not? • Don’t let anything else eat dead birds. Why not? • What is the danger from cooking and eating birds from countries where A.I. is enzootic? • Routine cooking eliminates all A.I. danger from flesh and eggs. • Cross-contamination: crates, birds, eggs.

11. What About Wild Birds? • A Russian Defense minister… • Keep wild birds wild: Discourage feeding wild birds. Why? • If wild birds remain isolated, are they a problem? • How CAN we keep the wild birds wild and isolated? • What should be do about feral chickens? • Enclose poultry and pig pens.

12. Community Education • Make the offer. Schools, business groups, social organizations, government offices. • Adjust the presentation to fit the audience. • Use lots of facts, lots of photos, don’t be afraid of “I don’t know.” • Energy. Show enthusiasm for your topic. Move, but not too much. Speak clearly. Avoid times when audience is tired or full. • Use hand-outs, if possible.

13. Bird Flu – Key Points Tom Poole, MPH, DVM, DACVPM Guam Territorial Veterinarian

14. What Is It? • Virus – 8 strands of RNA, not even alive. • H5N1 – Hemaglutinin, Neuraminidase -1961 • Zoonotic, Endemic, Enzootic, Pandemic • First major human A. I. pandemic – 1918 • Parvo model

15. Three Very Distinct Viruses • Regular, human, type-A influenza…kills about 30,000 / year in USA, probably < 20,000 yrs old, probably evolved from an avian influenza. • Avian influenza…many different types, kills lots of chickens and almost never any people. • Pandemic influenza. Does not yet exist; will likely be created from a re-assortment of human and H5N1 avian influenza viruses in a single cell of a single human.

16. Who Gets H5N1 A.I. ? • Deadly in chickens, turkeys, some dom. ducks. Kills 95-100% of exposed chickens in < 48hrs. • Disease is mild or absent in most wild birds, altho some wild birds can spread the virus. • Virus in stool and all secretions; 30 days cool H2O. • Exceedingly rare in humans; high mortality rate.

17. What Causes a Pandemic? • Difference: mutation & genetic reassortment. • Person with human flu contracts bird flu. • Unpredictable mix/match = new virus • Potential: inherits up to 100% pathogenicity + 100% transmissibility. • Spreads around the world, swamps hospitals. • Virus mutates away from any treatment. • Could change human civilization.

18. What Will Pandemic Be Like? • Almost all will be called, how many chosen? • 1918 killed 50-100 million, 93% world exposed. • Took 18 months then, much faster now. • 2.5% death rate, H5N1 now 60% death rate. • No immunity, no vaccine, treatment??? 1918 – pop. 1.5 billion 2006 – pop. 6+ billion

19. What about Pacific Islands? • Flyways: EA-A, Central Pacific • Birds visiting from enzootic areas. • Feral chickens spread from isolated resting areas to backyard chickens. • Humans (esp. cockfighters) exposed to infected birds and feces. • Possible that pandemic “index case” comes from here.

20. What Should We Do? • Vaccinate high risk bird flu people with both human flu and new H5N1 vaccines. • Endeavor to isolate feral chickens from migratory birds and their resting areas. • Educate people about risk behavior, the potential of a pandemic, and how much personal responsibility may be required to survive. Stamp out goofy fears. • Plan for the worst. What would we do if food and energy deliveries stopped.

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