The focus on biosecurity is echoed in a report in The Guardian focusing on the increasing number of bird flu reinfections at poultry operations in the United States.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) told The Guardian that 67 commercial poultry operations had been reinfected with bird flu at least once, with 18 farms infected three or more times.
Farms with reinfections have received more than $365m in federal payments, the USDA announced while unveiling a plan to require a biosecurity audit before farms receive more indemnity payments. The USDA had paid more than $1.1bn to more than 1,200 poultry producers for culling and replacing their flocks, The Guardian said.
The reinfections highlighted the need for improved biosecurity, for which the US government is providing $1 billion.
“Biosecurity in poultry farming often involves sanitising equipment, vehicles and facilities, as well as restricting the number of people who can access chicken houses and testing animals,” the newspaper reported.
However, it was becoming apparent that biosecurity measures alone were not enough to prevent the spread of bird flu, according to professor Khaled Abdelaziz of Clemson University.
“We need to reconsider vaccinating our poultry flocks to minimise the production losses and prevent potential pandemics,” Abdelaziz said.
