U.S. agencies track bird flu at ports

The government is trying to determine whether deadly bird flu can contaminate the food supply and is cracking down on smuggling of pet birds and poultry that can spread the virus, officials said Wednesday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it is studying potential food contamination as part of a pandemic flu plan released Wednesday.

Among the foods it regulates � everything but meat, poultry and eggs � the agency aims to pinpoint the foods and livestock feeds most likely to be tainted.

Scientists are trying to develop tests that will find the virus in foods, FDA said.

At the same time, the Agriculture Department said it will double its anti-smuggling operations at U.S. ports, restaurants and markets.

A team seized 360,000 pounds of prohibited poultry products in 31 special operations last year, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns told reporters at a briefing Wednesday.
Johanns noted the deadly Asian strain of bird flu has not been found in the U.S.

“I will add that an outbreak among birds, wild or commercial, would not signal the start of a human pandemic,” he said. “The virus would have to mutate and become easily transmitted between people before concerns would arise related to a human pandemic.”

The Asian strain of flu is responsible for the death or destruction of millions of birds overseas and has killed 168 people, mostly those who had close contact with infected birds or their droppings.

Officials said they are gearing up for a new round of surveillance beginning next month in wild birds throughout the United States. Last year, the departments of agriculture and interior collected more than 100,000 samples from wild birds in all 50 states.

While testing turned up a relatively harmless version of the virus, none of the samples tested positive for the virulent Asian strain.

Also Wednesday, Johanns signed an agreement with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to collaborate more closely on bird flu.

Source: AP

Date: 16 March 2007

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