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by Seth Teter

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say they expect H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain avian influenza, to arrive in the United States at some point, but are confident they are prepared to respond.

"We have experience dealing with these strains of bird flu in the U.S.," said USDA Deputy Secretary Chuck Connor, referring to the department's past success in eradicating high-pathogen avian influenza viruses.

Connor, who recently spoke to Ohio Farm Bureau county presidents in Washington D.C., noted that the arrival of H5N1 in migratory birds or poultry does not signal a human influenza pandemic and that properly cooked poultry remains safe to eat.

According to USDA, experts have been monitoring the spread of H5N1 since 1997 when it appeared in Hong Kong. The department has tested more than 12,000 migratory birds in the Alaska flyway and 4,000 birds in the Atlantic flyway, all of which have tested negative for the disease.

"The virus to our knowledge is not in the Western Hemisphere ... but there is an increased threat," said Richard Slemons, a leading avian influenza researcher with Ohio State University, noting H5N1 has spread into Europe and Africa.

Slemons said it's extremely difficult to predict the spread of influenza viruses.

"It could be here tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised, and it could never arrive and I wouldn't be surprised," he said.

Testing of migratory birds in Ohio has already begun this year and will be in full swing by late summer. However, illegally imported exotic birds or humans carrying the virus then interacting with backyard birds could also introduce the virus.

"I don't think you can focus on one at the exclusion of the others," Slemons said.

Beth Johnson, USDA deputy chief of staff, said the administration is working "very aggressively" to prepare for the arrival of H5N1. She said less severe strains of avian influenza are not uncommon in U.S. poultry flocks, and the department has had success handling the small number of high-pathogen viruses it has encountered.

"We got our arms around it very quickly and we were able to eradicate it very quickly and we haven't had any problems since," she said.

In Ohio, Gov. Bob Taft has outlined a plan to combat the arrival of a flu pandemic in both poultry and humans. The model includes measures to identify, respond and control an outbreak.

Slemons said the quicker the disease is detected, the less impact it will have. The disease would need to be isolated immediately and farmers should work through the Ohio Department of Agriculture's diagnostic lab. However, he said if avian influenza is detected in multiple locations, action will need to be taken at the local level.

"In a crisis, everything gets confused very quickly," so local communities should know their chain of command in case of an outbreak, he said.

Slemons said farmers should not only evaluate their biosecurity measures but also test them. Farmers should also be vigilant in reporting anything out of the ordinary with their birds.

"I think our commercial poultry industry is in good shape," Slemons said.

• It does not signal a human influenza pandemic.
• Cooked poultry remains safe to eat.
• ODA disposes of infected flocks and issues a quarantine of the area.
• Disease surveillance activities increase.
• Monitoring for new bird cases increases.
• Surveillance of wild birds increases.