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Archive Number 20030117.0145
Published Date 17-JAN-2003
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA) (05)

NEWCASTLE DISEASE, GAME BIRDS, POULTRY - USA (CA) (05)
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[1]
Date: 16 Jan 2003
From: Pablo Nart <p.nart@virgin.net>
Source: Newsday.com [edited]
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-poultry-disease0116jan15,0,6661765.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnation%2Dheadlines>


Destruction of more than 400 000 chickens at a San Bernardino County 
commercial farm was ordered on Wednesday after testing positive for a 
disease that has forced the quarantine of southern California's poultry. It 
was the fifth commercial chicken farm hit by exotic Newcastle disease, 
which is a threat to the state's USD 3 billion industry and forced the 
slaughter of more than 1.7 million chickens since it was discovered in 
September.

The farm, which was not identified, was near backyard flocks that were 
infected with the disease, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the California 
Department of Food and Agriculture.

The quarantine prohibits the movement of all poultry, poultry products and 
nesting materials in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, 
Orange, San Diego, and Imperial counties. California is the nation's third 
largest egg producer. More than 9 million of the state's 12 million 
egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

-- 
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

******
[2]
Date: 16 Jan 2003
From: Doug Beeman <dbeeman@pe.com>
Source: The Press enterprise [edited]


State health officials are investigating whether exotic Newcastle disease, 
which has affected hundreds of thousands of chickens in the Inland area, 
caused an eye infection in 2 workers involved in the eradication effort.

Tests are being performed on the 2 who -- along with 635 other workers -- 
are destroying infected and exposed birds, said Michele Jay, acting state 
public health veterinarian. She said studies indicate people who come into 
direct contact with infected birds could get the eye disease, officially 
called conjunctivitis and commonly known as "pinkeye". While Newcastle is 
highly contagious and nearly always fatal to birds, state officials have 
previously said the disease does not harm humans.

To try to stop the disease from spreading, more than 1.2 million birds 
infected with or exposed to Newcastle have been ordered to be euthanized at 
egg ranches and back yards in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego 
counties since 1 Oct 2002.

The state has imposed a quarantine that forbids birds from being moved 
outside 8 southern California counties, although sanitized eggs are exempt. 
Jay said the virus is present in the secretions of infected poultry but is 
not found in poultry meat or eggs.

"The only possibility of risk (to humans) is occupational," she said. She 
said the state Department of Health Services last week received a swab 
culture taken from the reddened eye of a worker on the eradication task 
force. A swab of eye secretions also has been taken from a second task 
force worker and will be sent to the state for analysis, Jay said.

Both workers have fully recovered, Jay said. She said she didn't know where 
the workers were assigned. Jay said it will take another 1 to 3 weeks 
before the department's laboratory in Richmond determines whether Newcastle 
caused conjunctivitis in the first worker.

Annette Whiteford, the veterinarian leading the Newcastle disease task 
force, said workers whose eyes are inflamed may have picked up some 
infection or irritation other than Newcastle in the recent high winds. Jay 
said the state will continue to monitor task force workers for 
conjunctivitis. She said workers with eye inflammations will be sent to 
private physicians to obtain eye swabs for analysis by the state.

Richard Matteis, executive director of the Pacific Egg and Poultry 
Association, a Sacramento-based trade association for egg producers, said 
he hadn't known Newcastle might cause pinkeye. He said all the government 
informational releases he has seen on the outbreak claimed there is no 
human health risk.

Little has been documented about the effect of Newcastle on humans, Jay 
said. She said that in 1943, a laboratory worker developed conjunctivitis 
after his eye was accidentally splashed with an egg inoculated with the 
disease. In 1952, another person got conjunctivitis after his eye was 
accidentally splashed with live virus.

In addition, Jay said, there have been claims of influenza-like illness 
after the Newcastle virus was inhaled, although she said no link between 
such symptoms and the virus has been scientifically confirmed. She said a 
1981 survey of poultry workers in India, where Newcastle is permanently 
established, found that 38 per cent of the workers tested positive for 
having antibodies for the disease, although they had no outward symptoms. 
By contrast, she said, only 4 per cent of the general public in India 
tested positive for the disease antibodies.

-- 
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Mild conjunctivitis and influenza-like symptoms have been reported in 
people working in poultry processing plants and laboratories. These mild 
signs do not occur in all processing plants or laboratories and since they 
are mild, and limited, there is no serious effect on human health. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA) (04) 20030116.0129
Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA)(03)  20030108.0060
Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA) (02) 20030104.0021
Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA)      20030103.0014
2002
---
Newcastle disease, game birds, poultry - USA (CA)      20021228.6147
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (11)          20021221.6104
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (10)          20021216.6077
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (09)          20021208.6014
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (08)          20021203.5958
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (07)          20021125.5893
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (06)          20021112.5780
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (05)          20021101.5689
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (04)          20021026.5646
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (03)          20021019.5603
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA) (02)          20021012.5533
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (TX): warning      20021006.5482
Newcastle disease, game birds - USA (CA): OIE          20021004.5468]

....................tg/pg/sh

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