Avian flu flies past Alabama.

PositionDisease Control

While avian influenza has been confirmed in 20 states this summer, Alabama thus far has remained free of the disease. "All of our growers have biosecurity measures, which are the first line of defense against avian influenza and other poultry diseases," says Ken Macklin, a scientist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and professor of poultry science at Auburn University.

Macklin says that more than 43,000,000 chickens and turkeys either have died from the disease or had to be euthanized because the flock tested positive for a highly contagious form of avian influenza in the last several months. The most severely impacted states are in the upper Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

"These cases in commercial poultry operations in the upper Midwest have mostly been linked to a failure of biosecurity," states Macklin. "Growers may have thought they were following biosecurity guidelines fully, but it seems that there were lapses."

Macklin indicates that strong biosecurity measures take many forms: isolating the birds from other animals; minimizing access to people and unsanitized equipment; keeping the area around the poultry buildings clean and uninviting to wild birds; sanitizing the facility between flocks; cleaning equipment entering and leaving the farm; having an all-in, all-out policy regarding the placement and removal...

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