9 avian influenza updates for the week ending July 30

The global poultry industry has done much in recent weeks concerning the prevention and control of avian influenza. 
Avian influenza has been an area of high concern for those in the global poultry industry. Here are 9 news developments concerning the virus you should know:
1. USDA closer toapproval of avian flu vaccine – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says a vaccine has been developed that has tested 100 percent effective in protecting chickens from avian influenza, and testing is being conducted on its effectiveness with turkeys. Should it prove effective in protecting turkeys, the agency would like to get theavian influenza vaccine licensed for widespread production.
2. Cleanup of U.S. farmsprogressing – Vilsack, while attending theAvian Influenza Outbreak Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, said the avian influenza cleanup efforts are progressing well. Vilsack, at the July 28 conference, said of 211 commercial facilities affected, about 90 percent have finished their cleaning and disinfection efforts, and nearly 70 percent are in the position of restocking.
Tweet: #TomVilsack says 70% of commercial facilities affected by #avianflu are now restocking, #poultry #avianinfluenza http://ctt.ec/5q217+
3. New H5N6, H5N1 casesin Vietnam – The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported new cases ofH5N6 avian influenza and H5N1 avian influenza in Vietnam. Between the two confirmed cases, more than 900 birds were affected.
4. Avian influenzabiosecurity audits lacking -- A survey conducted by the USDA’sAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) showed that most U.S. turkey farms have established biosecurity protocols, but only 43 percent of the 81 farms surveyed reported that on-farm biosecurity audits were conducted by the company with which they do business or by a third party. This was one of the findings in the APHIS highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemiology report.
5. H7N7 avian influenzareturns to Germany –H7N7 avian influenza has been confirmed at a layer farm in the district of Emsland in the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) in northwest Germany, affecting about 10,000 birds. The virus was last detected in Germany in March.
6. Ag secretaryadvocates avian flu insurance – Vilsack is calling on Congress to allocate funding for anavian influenza insurance program farmers who might be affected by the virus. The idea has the support of both of Minnesota’s U.S. senators, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar.
7. Keys to good biosecurity identified – Speaking at theUSPOULTRY Hatchery-Breeder Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, Shawn Carlton, technical service manager with Cobb-Vantress, said there are three general principals to a successful biosecurity program. Those are: “Go onto a farm clean, leave the farm clean, and if in doubt … clean and disinfect,” 
8. North Carolina preparingfor avian influenza – Even though there have been no confirmed cases of avian influenza in North Carolina in 2015, the state is doing what it can to be prepared. TheNorth Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is requiring all commercial poultry growers with more than 200 birds to submit a highly pathogenic avian influenza plan. The state is also requiring all poultry owners, regardless of the number of birds on the property, to register their farms with the state.
9. Georgia Department ofAgriculture trains workers for avian flu -- The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is training its employees how to deal with flocks affected with the virus in case it appears in the state. One of the training activities the department conducted recently at Fort Valley State University involved how to euthanize flocks of poultry that have been infected with avian influenza.
Bookmark WATTAgNet’savian influenza update page for the latest news and analysis concerning the virus and its impact on the poultry industry.