The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it plans to sample 75,000 to 100,000 birds for avian influenza starting in April, 2006. Most of the sampling will take place in Alaska, but will include birds in the Pacific islands and along the west coast.
Samples (throat or cloacal swabs) will be sent to the US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Center in Madison, Wisconsin for initial testing. Any positive for H5N1 will be forwarded to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, IA for confirmatory testing. NVSL is prepared to test up to 18,000 samples daily.
USDA officials are concerned that the influenza virus will move into the US during the spring migration. Birds over-wintering in Asia migrate to Alaska in the spring to breed. The virus could then be transmitted to wild birds which in turn would migrate south in the fall. Thus, the virus could appear in the lower 48 states sometime between August and November 2006. Other scientists downplay the role of migratory birds as a significant risk factor for introduction of the virus into the US.
USA Today has a very informative synopsis of the avian influenza timeline and a graphic showing the migratory flyways around the world on its web site.
Source:
ProMED mail