Avian Influenza

April 2, 2007: CRISAR Center announced

The Wildlife Health Center has been named part of the Center for Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research (CRISAR), one of six new centers that were announced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an arm of the National Institutes of Health today. Read more here.

In the last ten years avian influenza (AI) viruses have presented new threats to the health of wildlife, animal and human populations. A few events of concern include:

• Highly pathogenic (H5N1 strain) AI outbreaks have been reported with increasing frequency from around the world;
• An ongoing H5N1 epidemic in Asian poultry has spread to at least 11 countries since December 2003 resulting in the death or culling of over 160 million live birds;
• Since 1997, fatal human infections due to H5N1 avian influenza viruses have occurred in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand, following transmission from poultry to humans.

Large outbreaks involving wild birds, particularly migratory birds, have been reported since April 2005. At Qinghai Lake, a nature preserve in China, over 6000 wild migratory birds succumbed to H5N1 infection.

Although many countries appear quick to blame wild migratory birds for the introduction of H5N1 into their countries, bird migration is only one of the possible routes of introduction. Transport of poultry and travel by people with virus contaminated articles are more direct, and possibly more likely, means of introducing the virus into the United States.

Many researchers and experts agree that more needs to be learned about H5N1 within migratory bird populations. The Wildlife Health Center will be participating in a nationwide surveillance effort focusing on the wild birds of the Pacific Flyway. Check back frequently as we will be updating this site with fact sheets and important information.

Avian Flu School (training the trainers)

Yolo Audubon Symposium on Avian Flu, April 15, 2006

UC Davis News Conference on Avian Flu, September 27, 2005

California Department of Fish and Game Advisory to Waterfowlers, October 2005

News clips about Avian Influenza as it pertains to wildlife

For more information, see the following sites devoted to Avian Flu:

World Health Organization (WHO)

National Wildlife Health Center (USGS-NWHC)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

California Department of Health Services (DHS)

Pandemic Flu dot gov (Avian Flu dot gov) NEW

See also:

University of Maryland Avian Influenza site

Flu Wiki