AVIAN INFLUENZA, POULTRY VS MIGRATORY BIRDS (32) ********************************************** A ProMED-mail post < http://www.promedmail.org > ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases < http://www.isid.org> Date: Thu 13 Jul 2006 2:40 PM From: Mary Marshall <[log in to unmask]> Source: CattleNetwork.com [edited] < http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=51973> Several boxes of smuggled poultry products have gone missing from a Michigan warehouse amid government surveillance activities to prevent illegal imports from countries known to have suffered outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman said. After the discovery and destruction of about 2000 pounds of poultry products smuggled into Troy, Mich., from China -- a country battling the deadly H5N1 form of bird flu -- in early June, USDA officials were called back by Michigan authorities later that month. On 27 Jun 2006, USDA spokesman Ed Loyd said, federal and state officials detained 150 pounds of smuggled poultry and pig carcasses. The next week, when USDA returned to the location in Genesee County, 4 boxes of smuggled goose intestines had disappeared and been replaced with "chicken parts." Loyd said, "An investigation is being conducted into the criminal violation related to the goose intestines." Ron DeHaven, administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said earlier in 2006 the government is increasing its inspection of imports coming from countries that are banned from shipping birds and poultry products to the U.S. "What's important is it only takes one smuggled shipment that contains the (H5N1) virus to have catastrophic consequences," DeHaven said. USDA's Loyd said it is standard practice for the government to destroy the smuggled poultry products it seizes without testing for bird flu. "Sample testing of seized product would not provide food safety assurance, because a single shipment often contains products from multiple sources and therefore different levels of potential exposure to pathogens," he said. Poultry, when properly cooked, is safe to eat, according to USDA. "Cooking to an internal temperature of 165 degrees (Fahrenheit) kills all bacteria and viruses." [Byline: Bill Tomson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; <[log in to unmask]>] -- ProMED-mail <[log in to unmask]> [It seems to be a fact of life that the customs agencies work independently of the health and veterinary services. Thus the latter are unintentionally kept in the dark over which pathogens are coming in illegally from wherever. One must accept that only a fraction of illegally imported meats are intercepted. In spite of the sampling problems it would be valuable to know what is coming in over the transom. The same inter-agency non-collaboration blocking situation occurs in the UK and I am sure in many other countries. - Mod.MHJ] [Smuggling of meat, animal products and even animals themselves has always been and continues to be an important issue. In the United States, Exotic Newcastle Disease was brought into California in 1971 by the unrestricted movement of pet birds into the country causing a major outbreak resulting in multimillions dollar loss. Even when restrictions were subsequently introduced, outbreaks due to smuggled pet birds continued to occur periodically. African Swine Fever in Belgium in 1985 was associated with someone illegally bringing infected meat from Spain and feeding it to a boar. Smuggling of meat into the United Kingdom was often touted as the cause of the devastating FMD outbreak in 2001. Finally, in the 2005 Taiwan incident H5N1 virus was actually identified in smuggled meat. Moreover, we have had previous cases of illegal importing into the United States. In February 2006, USDA alertly identified smuggled "jellyfish" products that actually contained chicken feet. At the same time, Taiwan found smuggled duck tongues. See reference below. The chances of people becoming infected with H5N1 from smuggled imported meat are extremely low as most people don't interact with frozen poultry in ways that would expose them like live poultry has in Southeast Asia and other places where people have died from H5N1. The extent in which the illegal movement of contaminated poultry products has contributed to the spread of global H5N1 in poultry populations is unknown but should not be discounted in the United States or elsewhere. What is of particular concern is that illegal meat like this may originate from infected or exposed farms -- which is why it was smuggled in the first place. In any case, the extensive efforts of USDA to thwart smuggling are important and may very well need to augmented. The really unfortunate thing, over and above the greed and illegality involved, is that smuggling just adds another wrinkle that really shouldn't be there to the already complicated epidemiology surrounding the global spread of the H5N1 virus. - Mod.PC] [see also: Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (31)20060713.1926 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (30) 20060621.1711 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (29) 20060619.1695 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (28) 20060615.1659 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (27) 20060607.1585 Avian Influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (26) 20060606.1574 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (25) 20060606.1571 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (24) 20060605.1567 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (23) 20060602.15413 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (22) 20060531.1522 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (21) 20060522.1446 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (20) 20060518.1396 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (19) 20060512.13500 Avian influenza, poultry vs. migratory birds (18) 20060504.1289 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (17) 20060502.1273 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (16) 20060501.1264 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (15) 20060429.1240 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (14) 20060422.1176 Avian influenza, poultry vs. migratory birds (13) 20060414.1114 Avian influenza - poultry vs. migratory birds (12) 20060413.1099 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (11) 20060412.1088 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (10) 20060324.0907 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (09) 20060320.0867 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (08) 20060309.0749 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (07) 20060305.0721 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (06) 20060303.0670 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (05) 20060228.0645 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (04) 20060227.0638 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (03) 20060222.0578 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (02) 20060218.0536 Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds 20060217.0516 2005 ---- Avian influenza - Eurasia (25): Taiwan ex China 20051022.3085] .........................................mhj/pg/dk *##########################################################* ************************************************************ ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the information, and of any statements or opinions based thereon, are not guaranteed. 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