ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 8, 2006

STATE VETERINARIAN URGES VIEWERS GET FACTS ABOUT BIRD FLU

BISMARCK – North Dakota’s chief animal health official says a television thriller about avian influenza or “bird flu” may be entertaining but is fictional and not a reliable source of information about the disease.

The made-for-TV movie, "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,” will be broadcast Tuesday evening on ABC.

“The virus that causes bird flu, the H5N1 virus, has not been found in North Dakota or anywhere in the United States,” said Dr. Susan Keller, the state veterinarian. “It also appears that the virus does not readily move from birds to humans, and that the few human cases have been in people with close contact with infected birds, usually poultry.”

Keller hopes the movie will encourage people to get the facts about avian influenza. For agricultural information, she recommended the North Dakota Department of Agriculture website at www.agdepartment.com/Programs/Livestock/BOAH/AvianInfluenza.htm. For human health concerns, Keller recommended the North Dakota Health Department website at www.ndhealth.gov or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm, as sources of up-to-date and authoritative information.

Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said North Dakota boasts a significant turkey industry, ranking 16th in the nation with 1.1 million birds in 2005. The state also has numerous “backyard” poultry flocks and small, wild game operations.

Keller said that surveillance and detection are the keys to preventing the introduction and spread of avian influenza in this country.

“Here in North Dakota, we have taken a number of measures to monitor any appearance of the disease,” Keller said. “I have ordered that anyone importing live birds into the state must have a certificate of veterinary inspection and an import permit number for each animal. The state’s poultry producers will be monitoring their flocks.”

Wildlife agencies, including the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Wildlife Services are working together to test migratory birds for the disease.

Keller also said poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat, as long as they are properly prepared.

-30-

MEDIA: For more information on the agricultural aspects of avian influenza, please call Patrice Lahlum or Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2231.

For more information, on human health aspects of avian influenza, please call Loreeta Frank at (701) 328-1665.