Media Coverage
October 22-31, 2002
Most Current is Listed First
Media Coverage - Main Page
The Oregonian OregonLive.com
Bird owners warned of spreading disease ODA works to protect birds from Exotic Newcastle Disease, now found in California
10/31/02
REF http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/1036103403231240.xml
By Bruce Pokorney
Oregon Dept. of Agriculture
Pet bird fanciers and the poultry industry in Oregon are being asked to help ward off a new foreign animal disease threat -- Exotic Newcastle Disease, which has already shown up in neighboring California.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture is conducting some extra surveillance in the coming weeks in an effort to protect the state's various bird industries.
Earlier this month, Exotic Newcastle Disease was found in small flocks of backyard birds near Los Angeles. Although the disease spreads rapidly, it doesn't appear to have been widely transmitted at this time and it has not been detected in commercial flocks. California officials are taking no chances.
Until the disease is under control, California has suspended all poultry exhibitions at local fairgrounds, and all bird owners are asked to stop the movement and sale of backyard birds.
Oregon on alert
The impact of the California outbreak has reached Oregon, even if the disease has not. ODA officials are making an extra effort to emphasize the need for bird owners to follow state import requirements.
Those requirements have always been in place. This time, because of Newcastle, officials will be checking even more closely at upcoming bird shows and exhibitions. Those birds without the necessary paperwork will be sent back out of the state. Such is the serious nature of the foreign animal disease.
Normally, we don't have Newcastle in the United States and we don't want it, says Hallberg, who adds that there is no known cure for the disease.
Southern California was the site of the last large outbreak of Newcastle in 1971.
Control cost high
Exposed birds are also destroyed in an effort to keep the disease from spreading.
Should Newcastle find its way to Oregon, the same control measure would be put into place.
I've been notifying organizers of upcoming bird shows, informing them of the import requirements, says Hallberg. We will be increasing surveillance at bird gatherings and other shows around the state.
Symptoms vary
Exotic Newcastle Disease affects the respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems of birds. Symptoms may include sneezing and coughing of the bird, diarrhea, drooping wings, and perhaps complete paralysis. It is spread primarily through direct contact between healthy birds and the bodily discharges of infected birds.
While humans are not affected, they can act as carriers of the virus via clothing.
Bird owners are urged to look for and recognize symptoms of the disease.
Newcastle is a threat to Oregon's important poultry industries, such as eggs and broilers -- valued at more than $45 million. Because of indemnity programs that require payment for the necessary destruction of affected or exposed birds, taxpayers could also be greatly impacted should the disease become widely established.
The disease is an equal threat to the pet bird industry, affecting high-valued psittacine (parrot family) birds as well as more common birds.
No discrimination
Federal officials say that birds illegally smuggled in the U.S. are not quarantined and tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and therefore may carry the exotic virus. Owners of pet birds should request certification from suppliers that birds are legally imported or are of U.S. stock. Since Amazon parrots are difficult to raise domestically, anyone offering to sell a large number of young parrots should be suspected of smuggling or purchasing smuggled birds.
Wild birds at risk
Finally, Oregon's wild bird population is also not immune to Newcastle.
ODA officials have had a fairly good track record in educating livestock owners of cattle and horses about the need to meet import requirements. They are hoping the latest outreach effort will catch the attention of bird owners.
Because birds tend more to be pets in Oregon, people don't think there might be import requirements, says Hallberg. But under our disease control law, poultry and psittacines are considered livestock and there are import requirements for both.
Until the current outbreak of Newcastle in California is under control, the heightened awareness and surveillance will continue in neighboring Oregon, where birds are still welcome but their health certification paperwork better be in order.
For more information, call Bruce Pokarney at (503) 986-4559.
Daily Bulletin Ontario, CA
Article Last Updated: Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 2:45:32 AM MST
REF http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E24398%257E959703,00.html
Contagious Newcastle disease found
A case of exotic Newcastle disease, a highly-contagious and deadly disease to birds, has been discovered in San Bernardino County, said officials with the United States Department of Agriculture.
The disease was discovered in some backyard poultry in the city of San Bernardino late last week, said Larry Hawkins, USDA spokesman.
The disease, which is not harmful to humans, still has not been found in any commercial poultry operations, Hawkins said.
The case in San Bernardino was the first reported in this county, Hawkins said. More than 100 cases of the disease have been discovered in Los Angeles and Riverside counties since the beginning of October, he said.
If an animal tests positive for exotic Newcastle disease, it is destroyed, Hawkins said.
Commercial poultry operations are taking measures to secure their property from the disease, Hawkins said.
Joe Florkowski, (909) 597-6389
Sherman Denison Herald Democrat, TX
Texas poultry farmers urged to check stock for END symptoms
October 27, 2002
REF http://66.220.130.210/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=91825?news
Texas animal health officials are urging poultry, fowl and game bird owners to check their flocks and report signs of illness among birds after Exotic Newcastle Disease, a highly contagious virus among birds, was confirmed Oct. 1 near Los Angeles, Calif. While END poses no treat to human health, some strains of the virus can kill nearly 100 percent of affected birds.
"California's disease investigation was initiated in late September after nearly 200 game birds died on a premise near Los Angeles," said Dr. Max Coats, assistant deputy director for Animal Health Programs at the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state's livestock health regulatory agency. "The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, has completed tests on samples collected from the birds and confirmed the Exotic Newscastle Disease diagnosis. As of Oct. 3, six California premises were involved in the poultry disease situation, and infected flocks are being depopulated to prevent spread of END.
Fortunately, none of the affected premises are near commercial poultry operations, and regulatory veterinarians from California and the U.S. Department of Agriculture say that there is no indication of additional infected farms."
Coats pointed out that a wide variety of pet and wild birds can carry END. He urged flock owners to check birds and report signs of illness to the TAHC at 1 (800) 550-8242. TAHC or USDA veterinarians can work with private practitioners at no charge to collect samples for testing. Signs to watch for include:
v birds that gasp and cough
v birds that exhibit central nervous systems disorders, such as circling, depression, paralysis, drooping wings or dragging legs.
v birds that produce fewer eggs
v birds that have greenish diarrhea
v birds that develop swelling of tissues around the eyes and neck
v unusually high death losses in the flock
Coats said laboratory testing is needed to confirm a clinical diagnosis of the Newcastle Disease, as signs can also mimic those of other poultry disease. In Texas, tests can be run by staff in the poultry diagnostic laboratories in Center and Gonzales. These are part of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory system, headquartered in College Station.
Carrier birds can spread the virus through respiratory discharges or feces. Caretakers can also become mechanical carriers of the disease, as the virus can be picked up and carried on shoes and clothing, feed trucks or equipment. In warm, humid weather, the virus can survive several weeks; in cold temperatures, it can remain alive indefinitely. Viral disinfectants, dry weather and sunlight kill the virus.
"This is a good time step up biosecurity practices on farms and ranches. Routine measures should include disinfecting footwear prior to entering or leaving a poultry facility, wearing disposable coveralls, or at least putting on clean clothes prior to entering a poultry site," said Dicky Richardson, a TAHC animal health programs specialist who works with poultry disease. "We require our staff also to wear disposable hair covers and gloves as added protection against disease transmission. Producers should consider disinfecting tires on vehicles, bagging dirty clothing prior to leaving a premise, and monitoring visitors, including feed providers, service personnel and poultry buyers to ensure they are following disinfecting procedures. Anyone in contact with backyard poultry or game bird flocks should shower and change their clothes before coming into contact with commercial poultry."
Richardson said procedures who visit a feed store, a neighbor's farm, coffee shop or grocery store should change their clothes and disinfect footwear before returning to their poultry houses. "It's just too easy to get clothing or footwear contaminated with a disease-causing virus and then carry it home," he said.
"If END is introduced into the area, it is critically important to address the outbreak immediately with depopulation of infected flocks, strict quarantines in affected area and surveillance in neighboring areas,"Coats said. He said an outbreak in southern California in 1971 resulted in the depopulation of nearly 12 million birds on 1,341 farms. That outbreak, which cost taxpayers $56 million, took three years to eradicate, and disrupted poultry production and trade, and impacted prices of poultry products.
"By reporting signs of disease immediately, the effects of outbreaks can be minimized," Coats said. "We depend on the partnership of producers, veterinary practitioners, the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and the public to keep livestock and poultry free of disease and our trading opportunities."
MARK ARNOLD is a Grayson County extension agent.
San Francisco Chronicle
Thousands of birds killed by virus
Infection confined to Southern California so far, officials say
John M. Broder, New York Times
Saturday, October 26, 2002
©2002 San Francisco Chronicle.
REF http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/10/26/MN142024.DTL
Los Alamitos, Orange County -- State and federal agriculture officials, attempting to contain a month- old outbreak of a deadly bird virus known as Exotic Newcastle disease, have killed more than 8,000 birds in Southern California, including thousands of chickens and dozens of household pet birds.
The devastating infection has not yet spread to California's commercial poultry operations, most of which are in Northern California, but Canada, Taiwan, Poland and Korea already have banned imports of most poultry products from the state.
The European Union has imposed an embargo on live poultry, hatching eggs and fresh meat from poultry and game birds from the United States until the infection is brought under control, officials said.
Officials from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U. S. Department of Agriculture have established an emergency Newcastle disease task force on a military training base in Los Alamitos, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.
The group now includes 171 officials to inspect hundreds of homes and small farms in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino County, where the infection is feared to have spread. So far, 73 premises have been quarantined in an effort to contain the virus.
Dr. Richard Breitmeyer, the state of California's chief veterinarian, said he has seen hopeful signs in recent days that the spread of the infestation is slowing, although he is far from ready to declare it contained.
"We're not finding a lot of cases of massive die-offs," Breitmeyer said. "Those occurred two to three weeks ago when birds were literally dying in front of our eyes."
He said he has been startled by the number of people in the Los Angeles megalopolis who keep chickens and other fowl on their property as pets or sources of food.
"The sheer volume of these backyard birds has been eye-opening to us," Breitmeyer said. "Some of these birds, including chickens, are like pets to these people."
A private veterinarian in Compton, a low-income suburb of Los Angeles, first spotted the disease late in September. A client brought in a sick chicken with symptoms similar to those of Newcastle disease: sneezing, runny beak, weight loss and lethargy.
The chicken soon died and was submitted to the state lab for testing, where it came back positive for Newcastle. State animal health experts quickly moved to try to assess the extent of the infection and began door-to-door inspections of homes and farms raising birds.
Newcastle disease devastated California's poultry industry in the early 1970s, when 12 million birds were destroyed. The disease was traced to imported parrots and macaws from Central and South America, which came in contact with birds from nearby commercial poultry operations.
Since then, federal agriculture officials have set up inspection and quarantine stations at the borders to try to keep diseased birds out. However, wild birds and smuggled exotic species and fighting cocks occasionally arrive carrying the virus.
The disease is often transmitted at bird shows, cockfights and swap meets and can be carried by humans, although it does not make people sick.
In that regard, it is like foot-and-mouth disease, which is debilitating to livestock but has little effect on humans, Breitmeyer said. The response by the authorities is similar: Kill all the diseased animals and any that might have come in contact with them, then quarantine the premises until the virus is eradicated by disinfectants.
Breitmeyer said it had not been determined how the disease entered California this time.
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said he has warned member farmers to impose stringent biosecurity measures at their poultry ranches, disinfecting workers when they arrive and leave and giving them laundered coveralls for each shift.
Still, he said, migratory birds can transmit Newcastle disease and there's no assurance that it will not spread northward to California's $2.5 billion poultry industry, with catastrophic economic results.
"When Newcastle gets into a commercial flock, you might as well kill them all," he said.
©2002 San Francisco Chronicle.
The Salt Lake Tribune
8,000 Birds Are Killed to Try to Stop Virus
Saturday, October 26, 2002
REF http://www.sltrib.com/10262002/nation_w/10933.htm
THE NEW YORK TIMES
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. -- State and federal agriculture officials, attempting to contain a month-old outbreak of a deadly bird virus known as Exotic Newcastle Disease, have killed more than 8,000 birds in Southern California.
The devastating infection has not yet spread to California's commercial poultry operations, most of which are in Northern California, but Canada, Taiwan, Poland and Korea already have banned imports of most poultry products from the state.
The European Union also has imposed an embargo on poultry products from the United States.
New York Times
October 26, 2002
8,000 California Birds Killed in Bid to Stop Virus
By JOHN M. BRODER
REF http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/26/national/26CHIC.html?ei=5062&en=eac2683500c4dbaa&ex=1036296000&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=top
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Oct. 24 — Trying to contain a month-old outbreak of a deadly bird virus known as exotic Newcastle disease, state and federal agriculture officials have killed more than 8,000 birds in Southern California, including thousands of chickens, dozens of household pet birds, several peacocks and four ostriches.
The devastating infection has not spread to California's commercial poultry operations, most of which are in Northern California, but Canada, Taiwan, Poland and South Korea have already banned imports of most poultry products from the state. The European Union has imposed an embargo on live poultry, hatching eggs and fresh meat from poultry and game birds from the United States until the infection is brought under control, officials said.
Officials from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture have established an emergency Newcastle disease task force on a military training base in Los Alamitos, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.
The group now includes 171 officials to inspect hundreds of homes and small farms in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties where the infection is feared to have spread. So far, 73 premises have been quarantined in an effort to contain the virus.
Dr. Richard E. Breitmeyer, the State of California's chief veterinarian, said he had seen hopeful signs in recent days that the spread was slowing, although he is far from ready to declare the virus contained.
"We're not finding a lot of cases of massive die-offs," Dr. Breitmeyer said. "Those occurred two to three weeks ago when birds were literally dying in front of our eyes."
He said he had been startled by the number of people in the Los Angeles metropolitan region who keep chickens and other fowl on their property as pets or sources of food.
"The sheer volume of these backyard birds has been eye-opening to us," Dr. Breitmeyer said. "Some of these birds, including chickens, are like pets to these people. It's amazing how emotionally attached people get to them."
The disease was first spotted in late September by a private veterinarian in Compton, a low-income Los Angeles suburb. A client brought in a sick chicken with symptoms similar to those of Newcastle disease: sneezing, weight loss and lethargy. The chicken soon died and was submitted to the state laboratory for testing, where results came back positive for Newcastle disease. State animal health experts quickly moved to try to assess the extent of the infection and began door-to-door inspections of homes and farms raising birds.
Newcastle disease devastated California's poultry industry in the early 1970's, when 12 million birds were destroyed. The disease was traced to imported parrots and macaws from Central and South America, which came in contact with birds from nearby commercial poultry operations. Since then, federal agriculture officials have set up inspection and quarantine stations at the borders to try to keep diseased birds out. But wild birds and smuggled exotic species and fighting cocks occasionally arrive carrying the virus.
The disease is often transmitted at bird shows, cockfights and swap meets and can be carried by humans, although it does not make people sick.
In that regard, it is like foot-and-mouth disease, which is debilitating to livestock but has little effect on humans, Dr. Breitmeyer said. The response by the authorities is similar: kill all the diseased animals and any that might have come in contact with them, then quarantine the premises until the virus is eradicated by disinfectants.
Dr. Breitmeyer said he was not certain how the disease was transported to California this time, but he said the strain here was genetically similar to a viral strain seen in Mexico in 2000 that led to the destruction of 13 million broilers.
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said he had warned member farmers to impose stringent biosecurity measures at their poultry farms, disinfecting workers when they arrive and leave and giving them laundered coveralls for each shift. Still, migratory birds can transmit Newcastle disease, he said, and there was no assurance that it would not spread northward to California's $2.5 billion poultry industry, with catastrophic economic results.
"When Newcastle gets into a commercial flock, you might as well kill them all," Mr. Mattos said.
When inspectors find a diseased bird, they immediately quarantine the premises and remove all birds on the property, which are quickly killed using carbon dioxide gas. Then investigators trace the movement of the birds to try to locate other diseased flocks. Owners are compensated with state money based on the market value of the birds, although that often leads to difficult negotiations, Dr. Breitmeyer said.
"We try to determine a fair value for the birds, but it doesn't take into account the emotional value they might have to the owners," he said. "But most people are being surprisingly cooperative when we make clear to them how devastating this is to poultry."
Sun-Sentinel - South Florida
REF http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-1023chicken,0,1938582.story?coll=sfla-business-front
Deadly poultry disease spreads in Calif. flocks
By Gina Keating
Reuters
Posted October 23 2002, 4:44 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES - A deadly poultry disease that decimated California's commercial flocks in 1971 was again stalking the $2.5 billion industry, but so far was confined to chickens kept in backyard coops, a state agriculture official said Wednesday.
State veterinarians confirmed outbreaks of Exotic Newcastle Disease, a respiratory illness, among chickens in two L.A. neighborhoods on Oct. 1, said Leticia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
``We are doing everything we can to identify the infected birds and to euthanize those birds ... and to prevent (the disease) from entering the commercial industry,'' Rico said.
About 125 federal and state agriculture inspectors immediately began house-to-house inspections in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, destroying more than 6,500 birds and quarantining 63 premises, Rico said.
They warned bird owners to keep their pets inside and to avoid exposing themselves to birds at shows or shores.
The disease, named after the English city where it was discovered, does not pose a serious health threat to humans but can kill an entire flock in days, veterinarians said.
The 1971 Newcastle outbreak took two years and $56 million to stamp out and ended with the destruction of 12 million birds, Rico said.
The cause of that outbreak was never determined but agriculture officials suspected smuggled birds from Latin America as the probable source, Rico said.
This time, commercial poultry farms have been spared but most are closed to visitors -- both human and avian, said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation.
``We are very aware of what we have to do to keep it from spreading into commercial flocks,'' Mattos said.
Most of California's poultry ranches are located in the agriculture-rich Central Valley between Bakersfield and Sacramento. They house 24 million laying birds, 235 million broilers and 18.7 million turkeys, Mattos said.
The outbreak was not expected to affect prices or availability of poultry for the holiday season, but was having a chilling effect on international trade, Mattos said.
California-based producers, including Foster Farms and Zacky Farms, send all but about 2 percent of their products to grocery stores within the state, Mattos said.
But other U.S. poultry producers, which export 20 percent of their meat, were already feeling negative effects of the outbreak in foreign markets, he said.
``We are concerned because there are some trading partners putting some restrictions of export of poultry meat and fertile eggs to their countries,'' Mattos said. ``Some ... have handled the problem without consulting scientific evidence, and are just making a political decision to keep our poultry out.''
Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Forbes
REF http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2002/10/23/rtr763642.html
Deadly poultry disease spreads in Calif. flocks
Reuters, 10.23.02, 4:38 PM ET
By Gina Keating
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A deadly poultry disease that decimated California's commercial flocks in 1971 was again stalking the $2.5 billion industry, but so far was confined to chickens kept in backyard coops, a state agriculture official said Wednesday.
State veterinarians confirmed outbreaks of Exotic Newcastle Disease, a respiratory illness, among chickens in two L.A. neighborhoods on Oct. 1, said Leticia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
"We are doing everything we can to identify the infected birds and to euthanize those birds ... and to prevent (the disease) from entering the commercial industry," Rico said.
About 125 federal and state agriculture inspectors immediately began house-to-house inspections in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, destroying more than 6,500 birds and quarantining 63 premises, Rico said.
They warned bird owners to keep their pets inside and to avoid exposing themselves to birds at shows or shores.
The disease, named after the English city where it was discovered, does not pose a serious health threat to humans but can kill an entire flock in days, veterinarians said.
The 1971 Newcastle outbreak took two years and $56 million to stamp out and ended with the destruction of 12 million birds, Rico said.
The cause of that outbreak was never determined but agriculture officials suspected smuggled birds from Latin America as the probable source, Rico said.
This time, commercial poultry farms have been spared but most are closed to visitors -- both human and avian, said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation.
"We are very aware of what we have to do to keep it from spreading into commercial flocks," Mattos said.
Most of California's poultry ranches are located in the agriculture-rich Central Valley between Bakersfield and Sacramento. They house 24 million laying birds, 235 million broilers and 18.7 million turkeys, Mattos said.
The outbreak was not expected to affect prices or availability of poultry for the holiday season, but was having a chilling effect on international trade, Mattos said.
California-based producers, including Foster Farms and Zacky Farms, send all but about 2 percent of their products to grocery stores within the state, Mattos said.
But other U.S. poultry producers, which export 20 percent of their meat, were already feeling negative effects of the outbreak in foreign markets, he said.
"We are concerned because there are some trading partners putting some restrictions of export of poultry meat and fertile eggs to their countries," Mattos said. "Some ... have handled the problem without consulting scientific evidence, and are just making a political decision to keep our poultry out."
Copyright 2002, Reuters News Service
Highs Plains Journal - Kansas
REF http://www.hpj.com/testnewstable.cfm?type=story&sid=7286
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 Good Afternoon!
Newcastle Disease Threat in S. California Poultry
Poultry producers in southern California are keeping a careful watch following reports that there is an outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease in some non-commercial poultry in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, Sparks Companies told clients this morning.
The disease poses no threat to humans, but it can spread rapidly in poultry populations. The last outbreak of the disease in southern California in 1971 resulted in the depopulation of almost 12 million birds on over 1,300 farms and took three years to eradicate, Sparks said.
Tests conducted by California ag officials confirmed the presence of Exotic Newcastle disease on Oct. 1, and the first public alert was issued two days later.
Exotic Newcastle is a respiratory disease that is very lethal to chickens, John Gardner, deputy commissioner of agriculture weights and measures for San Bernardino County told Sparks. Newcastle is highly contagious for most types of birds. If cases of the disease are discovered at commercial sites, the animals have to be destroyed.
Riverside and San Bernardino are important egg producing counties, with Riverside's $56 million in production leading the state.
State precautions include suspending poultry and show bird exhibitions at fairs. A telephone hot line -- (800) 491-1899 -- has been established by state agriculture officials to provide information on the disease and to take reports of ill birds or suspected cases. The hot line has received 10 to 15 calls a day since it was established nearly three weeks ago.
Japan, Canada, Taiwan and Korea are currently limiting imports from California, or a specific radius around the affected areas, Sparks said.
San Bernardino County Sun
REF http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E942633,00.html
Article Last Updated: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 10:13:18 PM MST
Potentially dangerous poultry disease still around
By ALAN SCHNEPF, Staff Writer
A disease with the potential to devastate Southern California's poultry industry is still being found in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, but commercial flocks have remained free of the plague.
Exotic Newcastle Disease which wiped out millions of birds in the early 1970s is usually found in California every year, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But usually, it's confined to a few birds at one, perhaps two, backyard chicken coops.
This year it's different. Hawkins said 63 locations, nearly all near Norco, Corona or Montebello have been quarantined after poultry showed symptoms of the disease. Hawkins said the disease may not be present at those locations, but that the quarantines were being taken as a precaution.
More than 5,600 backyard hens, roosters, show fowl and other birds have been destroyed to stop the spread of the disease, said state Department of Food and Agriculture Spokeswoman Leticia Rico.
Although it is possible for humans to contract the virus, it is extremely rare and occurs mostly in laboratory or commercial farm settings Hawkins said. It cannot be contracted from eating chicken or eggs. And when humans do catch Exotic Newcastle Disease, its effects are much less severe, usually resulting in symptoms similar to pinkeye.
Agriculture officials issued an alert about the disease on Oct. 3, when fewer than 10 sites were found with the disease.
Although no source has been scientifically pinpointed, Hawkins said the disease may have came from Mexico.
"We suspect, based on experience, that it may be birds smuggled from Mexico,' he said. "But there's no smoking gun yet.'
Fighting birds are among the breeds that are smuggled into California from Mexico.
Jim Hoover, owner of several egg ranches in the Yucaipa area, saw the effects of an Exotic Newcastle epidemic in the early 1970s. Agriculture officials "depopulated' hundreds of thousands of his birds after the disease was found at his ranch. Efforts to stop that outbreak cost $56 million and involved the destruction of nearly 12 million chickens.
But things are different now. With or without a disease threat, egg farmers like Hoover take great precautions before allowing people near their flocks. A visitor to a commercial operation who had just walked in an infected backyard coop, could kill thousands by tracking in bad manure. With the threat of Exotic Newcastle, the precautions are getting more extreme.
"It's gone from biosecurity to very strict biosecurity,' Hoover said.
Hawkins said advances in biosecurity, some in the last few years, make a repeat of the 1970s outbreak less likely.
To slow the disease, officials say people with birds should avoid being around other flocks and avoid selling and moving their poultry. Specialists also warn about buying and selling used poultry equipment. The Associated Press contributed to this report
Daily Bulletin - Ontario, CA
REF http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E24398%257E942358,00.html
Article Last Updated: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - 1:44:05 AM MST
Bird disease poses threat to poultry industry
By JOE FLORKOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
A highly contagious disease that can infect many types of birds and can be devastating to the poultry industry has been discovered in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
It has not been found in San Bernardino County, officials said.
Exotic Newcastle disease, which once forced the destruction of nearly 12 million chickens at a cost of $56 million in Southern California in the 1970s, has been found in backyard poultry in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, said Leticia Rico, spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
"We are investigating premises in San Bernardino County,' Rico said. "We have not confirmed it at any site.'
Although both people and birds can spread the disease, it cannot infect humans or poultry eggs and meat, Rico said.
Exotic Newcastle is a respiratory disease that is very lethal to chickens, said John Gardner, deputy commissioner of agriculture weights and measures for San Bernardino County.
"(Newcastle) is a really deadly disease,' Gardner said. "It's highly contagious amongst most types of birds.'
If cases of the disease are discovered at commercial sites, the animals have to be destroyed, Gardner said.
The discovery of exotic Newcastle disease has heightened the awareness of Chino Valley farmers who rely on chickens for egg production. About a half-dozen farmers operate egg ranches in the San Bernardino County Dairy Preserve.
Willard Maust, an Ontario egg farmer, was around in the early 1970s when chicken flocks were destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease.
During that time, chicken owners who had their animals destroyed were reimbursed by the federal government. However, consumers did not receive their normal supply of meat and poultry products while producers' farms were being quarantined, he said.
"It's something the industry can't live with,' Maust said.
The disease has been confined to backyard flocks and game birds, according to Maust, owner of Maust's California Farms in Ontario. Commercial operations such as his have not been affected, he said.
"They've been very effective so far in keeping it away from commercial flocks,' Maust said. "We're encouraged by that.'
An outbreak of Newcastle would be especially harmful since egg producers are just coming out of a three-year period of low prices, he said.
"We're just now coming into better economic times,' Maust said. "It wouldn't be good for the industry to have this Newcastle situation.'
Exotic Newcastle was confirmed in Southern California on Oct. 1, Rico said.
Most birds are susceptible to the disease, but it strikes chickens the hardest. The disease is often spread from bird to bird but can also be spread by humans, Rico said.
People who want to protect their pet birds should avoid going to places where birds are sold, Rico said. Pet birds should also be kept from being moved around to prevent their infection.
Joe Florkowski can be reached by e-mail joe.florkowski@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 597-6389.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
REF http://www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205%257E12220%257E940592,00.html
October 22, 2002
Officials order birds put to death
Norwalk breeder's flock reportedly exposed to dangerous virus
By Susan McRoberts, Staff Writer
NORWALK -- State agriculture officials Monday put to death about 100 birds, including parrots, parakeets, cockatiels and chickens, after the latest discovery in the county of Exotic Newcastle disease in the flock of a bird breeder in Norwalk.
``This is a very serious virus,'' said Letitia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. ``It is highly contagious among birds, and we are doing everything we can to eradicate it and prevent it from entering commercial poultry.''
The Norwalk breeder's property was also quarantined.
Rico, however, declined to give the address of the home or provide other details about the breeder, fearing the media would visit the house and inadvertently spread the disease, which can be picked up on the soles of shoes.
An outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease was first discovered in Southern California on Oct. 1. It was identified when a bird owner reported that his birds were mysteriously dying.
Since then, officials have discovered 59 private residences where the disease has been confirmed in pet birds, breeding flocks, backyard chickens and roosters used in illegal cockfights. Investigators have euthanized 5,500 birds, mostly chickens.
Agriculture officials have issued a warning about the disease to people with pet birds and backyard flocks. The warning extends to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Rico said.
Owners and buyers of birds should be careful, officials said.
``The best thing is just to not buy a bird from a swap meet or a pet store if you cannot verify that it has been quarantined,'' said Dr. Gary Throgmorton, an avian veterinarian in Whittier.
Birds from Mexico may be carrying the virus, he said. Agriculture Department officials advised bird lovers to purchase only locally raised chicks or birds.
``People should keep their birds at home,'' Rico said. ``They should take precautions to be certain their birds don't have unnecessary contact with other birds. Even wild ones could be spreading this virus.''
Certain types of parrots can carry the virus for over a year without showing any symptoms of the disease.
Poultry shows in Southern California have been canceled, she added.
The virus is nearly 100 percent fatal, according to a Web site published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Services division. It affects nearly all species of birds.
According to the government, many birds die without showing any symptoms at all. The virus is spread through direct contact between healthy birds and the bodily discharges of infected birds. It spreads rapidly among confined birds, such as commercially raised chickens. It can also be transmitted in discharge on clothing or shoes, Rico said.
In 1971, a major outbreak in commercial poultry flocks in Southern California affected the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply. Almost 12 million chickens were destroyed at a cost of $56 million. The price of poultry and poultry products rose as a result.
In 2000, a major outbreak in Mexico affected Tyson Foods and 13.6 million birds were destroyed.
Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
-- Susan McRoberts can be reached at (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3029, or by e-mail at sue.mcroberts@sgvn.com.
Riverside Press Enterprise
REF http://www.pe.com/lifestyles/healthandfitness/stories/PE_HEALTH_badbirds.e5baa171.html
Poultry disease resurfaces in Calif.
10/22/2002
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Newcastle disease, a deadly avian infection that struck the state's poultry industry in the 1970s, has resurfaced in Southern California.
About 60 locations in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties have been quarantined and more than 5,600 backyard hens, roosters, show fowl and other birds have been killed to stop the spread of the disease, state Department of Food and Agriculture spokeswoman Leticia Rico said Monday.
Although the disease has yet to infect commercial flocks, producers and state agricultural officials worry it could spread quickly to egg farms. Riverside County led the state last year in egg production at $56 million, while San Bernardino County's egg crop topped $26 million.
The disease cannot be transmitted to humans and poses no public health threat.
A statewide outbreak in the early 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply. Efforts to stop the disease cost $56 million and involved destruction of nearly 12 million chickens.
Officials said the disease may have been brought into the area by fighting roosters or other birds brought illegally into the country, or by migratory birds.
The disease affects virtually all types of domestic and wild birds. It can be transmitted through feces, feed, cages, clothing or other materials and can become airborne.
Many egg producers are disinfecting workers' boots and the tires of all vehicles that enter their farms, limiting visitor access, or discouraging employees from visiting bird shows. Farmers are also taking steps to prevent wild birds from feeding or drinking on their property.
Riverside Press Enterprise
REF http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_NEWS_nabirds22.f507.html
Poultry disease returns; Inland area ready
NEWCASTLE: Agriculture officials mobilize as bird breeders and egg and chicken farms take steps.
10/22/2002
By TIM O'LEARY
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
A disease that ravaged California's poultry industry three decades ago and sparked a national animal emergency has resurfaced in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, state officials said.
"We are taking it very seriously," said Leticia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
About 90 state, federal and university specialists have been mobilized to try to eradicate exotic Newcastle disease. Such an effort in the early 1970s cost $56 million and boosted poultry prices when nearly 12 million chickens were destroyed.
Officials at Inland agricultural commissioners' offices turned over egg-inspection duties last week to state officials.
"It is definitely a concern," said John Gardner, San Bernardino County's chief deputy agricultural commissioner. "Newcastle disease is one of the most lethal (bird) diseases around. It kills the birds very quickly and spreads very quickly."
His Riverside County counterpart echoed those fears.
"It's a major concern because if it spreads into the production areas, it will have a major impact," said Dusty Wiley, Riverside County's deputy agricultural commissioner.
The virus cannot be transmitted to humans, and there is no threat to public health, officials and egg producers emphasize.
Not cropping up at farms
So far, there are no cases involving commercial flocks, including egg farms, an agricultural category in which Riverside County's $56 million crop led the state in production last year. The value of San Bernardino County's egg crop topped $26 million last year.
About 60 locations have been quarantined in the three-county area, and more than 5,600 backyard chickens, roosters, show fowl and other birds have been killed to stop the spread of the disease, Rico said.
The first DNA samples taken from birds that died of a mysterious cause were sent in for testing on Sept. 27, she said. The analysis tested positive for exotic Newcastle disease on Oct. 1, and the first public alert was issued two days later.
The disease affects virtually all types of domestic and wild birds. It can be transmitted through contact between birds as well as through feces, feed, cages, clothing or other materials and can become airborne over short distances, she said.
Rico said it is not known how the disease resurfaced in Southern California. It possibly was imported by fighting roosters or other birds illegally brought into this country or by migrating wild birds that had stopped to feed or rest in the three-county area.
Efforts praised
State precautions include suspending poultry and show bird exhibitions at the Farmers Fair, which began Saturday at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds and continues through Sunday.. A telephone hot line -- (800) 491-1899 -- has been established by state agriculture officials to provide information on the disease and to take reports of ill birds or suspected cases.
The hot line has received 10 to 15 calls a day since it was established nearly three weeks ago, she said. Symptoms of the disease include sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing, diarrhea and listlessness. Sudden death can occurred.
Paul Bahan, owner of AAA Egg Farm in the San Jacinto Valley, which has about 750,000 chickens, praised state and federal efforts aimed at preventing the disease from reaching commercial flocks.
"They're really up and rolling," he said.
Commercial egg and poultry farmers are taking their own steps to prevent exotic Newcastle from making inroads into their industry, said Bahan. He is part of a Southern California group of egg producers that has created strategies against diseases and potential bioterrorism threats.
Many egg producers are disinfecting workers' boots and the tires of all vehicles that enter their farms, limiting visitor access, discouraging employees from visiting bird shows or raising their own chickens or other fowl, he said. The farmers are also taking steps to prevent wild birds from feeding or drinking on their property, he added.
1970s memories
These precautions are far greater than the steps taken by most backyard bird or fowl owners, said Daryl Arnott, a director of the San Bernardino County Farm Bureau for the past eight years. He can recall a major outbreak of the disease in the early 1970s, when his family's farm was hit hard and thousands of chickens and eggs had to be destroyed.
"It would be quite a devastation if that was happening," said Arnott, who plans to increase his flock of 300 chickens to 1,000 or more when he moves his poultry and citrus operation from north Redlands to Mentone in a few weeks.
Frank Miser, owner of Magnolia Bird Farm operations in Riverside and Anaheim, said his business was quarantined during the '70s outbreak, and birds could not be sold outside the local area. He said he resisted calls to have his parakeets, canaries, cockatiels and other birds killed.
"It isn't too much of a concern because it hasn't snowballed yet," Miser said of the latest outbreak. He is, however, being cautious.
"We watch our birds very carefully, and we know where our birds are coming from," he said. "We don't allow any smuggled birds on our premises."
In 1971, a major outbreak that began in Fontana and spread throughout California threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply.
At that time, a Riverside motel was the operations center for a 1,300-member state and federal task force. Quarantines were declared in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Imperial and Ventura counties. That outbreak ended in July 1974. A smaller outbreak was eradicated in 1979.
Reach Tim O'Leary at (909) 587-3133 or toleary@pe.com
Long Beach Press Telegram
REF http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204%257E21474%257E940849,00.html
Article Last Updated: Monday, October 21, 2002 - 11:59:55 PM MST
Infected birds killed to quell disease
Health: 100 put down after Exotic Newcastle virus found in Norwalk.
By Susan McRoberts
Staff writer
NORWALK State agriculture officials Monday put to death about 100 birds, including parrots, parakeets, cockatiels and chickens, after the latest discovery of Exotic Newcastle disease in Los Angeles County.
"This is a very serious virus,' said Letitia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "It is highly contagious among birds, and we are doing everything we can to eradicate it and prevent it from entering commercial poultry.'
The disease nearly always fatal to birds was found in the flock of a bird breeder in Norwalk, whose property also was quarantined.
The department withheld the address of the home and details about the breeder, fearing the media would visit the house and inadvertently spread the disease, which can be picked up on the soles of shoes.
An outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease was first discovered in Southern California on Oct. 1. It was identified when a bird owner reported that his birds were mysteriously dying.
Since then, officials have discovered 59 private residences where the disease has been confirmed in pet birds, breeding flocks, back yard chickens and roosters used in illegal cockfights. Investigators have put to sleep 5,500 birds, mostly chickens.
Agriculture officials have issued a warning about the disease to people with pet birds and back- yard flocks. The warning extends to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Rico said.
Owners and buyers of birds should be careful, officials said.
"The best thing is just to not buy a bird from a swap meet or a pet store if you cannot verify that it has been quarantined,' said Dr. Gary Throgmorton, an avian veterinarian in Whittier.
Birds from Mexico may be carrying the virus, he said. Agriculture Department officials advised bird lovers to purchase only locally raised chicks or birds.
"People should keep their birds at home,' Rico said. "They should take precautions to be certain their birds don't have unnecessary contact with other birds. Even wild ones could be spreading this virus.'
Certain types of parrots can carry the virus for over a year without showing any symptoms of the disease.
Poultry shows in Southern California have been canceled, she added.
The virus is nearly 100 percent fatal, according to a Web site published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Services division. It affects nearly all species of birds.
According to the government, many birds die without showing any symptoms at all. The virus is spread through direct contact between healthy birds and the bodily discharges of infected birds. It spreads rapidly among confined birds, such as commercially raised chickens. It can also be transmitted in discharge on clothing or shoes, Rico said.
In 1971, a major outbreak in commercial poultry flocks in Southern California affected the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply. Almost 12 million chickens were destroyed at a cost of $56 million. The price of poultry and poultry products rose as a result.
In 2000, a major outbreak in Mexico affected Tyson Foods and 13.6 million birds were destroyed.
Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
Whittier Daily News
REF http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207%257E12026%257E940592,00.html
Article Last Updated: Monday, October 21, 2002 - 8:59:20 PM MST
Officials order birds put to death
Norwalk breeder's flock reportedly exposed to dangerous virus
By Susan McRoberts, Staff Writer
NORWALK -- State agriculture officials Monday put to death about 100 birds, including parrots, parakeets, cockatiels and chickens, after the latest discovery in the county of Exotic Newcastle disease in the flock of a bird breeder in Norwalk.
``This is a very serious virus,'' said Letitia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. ``It is highly contagious among birds, and we are doing everything we can to eradicate it and prevent it from entering commercial poultry.''
The Norwalk breeder's property was also quarantined.
Rico, however, declined to give the address of the home or provide other details about the breeder, fearing the media would visit the house and inadvertently spread the disease, which can be picked up on the soles of shoes.
An outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease was first discovered in Southern California on Oct. 1. It was identified when a bird owner reported that his birds were mysteriously dying.
Since then, officials have discovered 59 private residences where the disease has been confirmed in pet birds, breeding flocks, backyard chickens and roosters used in illegal cockfights. Investigators have euthanized 5,500 birds, mostly chickens.
Agriculture officials have issued a warning about the disease to people with pet birds and backyard flocks. The warning extends to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Rico said.
Owners and buyers of birds should be careful, officials said.
``The best thing is just to not buy a bird from a swap meet or a pet store if you cannot verify that it has been quarantined,'' said Dr. Gary Throgmorton, an avian veterinarian in Whittier.
Birds from Mexico may be carrying the virus, he said. Agriculture Department officials advised bird lovers to purchase only locally raised chicks or birds.
``People should keep their birds at home,'' Rico said. ``They should take precautions to be certain their birds don't have unnecessary contact with other birds. Even wild ones could be spreading this virus.''
Certain types of parrots can carry the virus for over a year without showing any symptoms of the disease.
Poultry shows in Southern California have been canceled, she added.
The virus is nearly 100 percent fatal, according to a Web site published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Services division. It affects nearly all species of birds.
According to the government, many birds die without showing any symptoms at all. The virus is spread through direct contact between healthy birds and the bodily discharges of infected birds. It spreads rapidly among confined birds, such as commercially raised chickens. It can also be transmitted in discharge on clothing or shoes, Rico said.
In 1971, a major outbreak in commercial poultry flocks in Southern California affected the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply. Almost 12 million chickens were destroyed at a cost of $56 million. The price of poultry and poultry products rose as a result.
In 2000, a major outbreak in Mexico affected Tyson Foods and 13.6 million birds were destroyed.
Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
-- Susan McRoberts can be reached at (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3029, or by e-mail at sue.mcroberts@sgvn.com.
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