International effort to respond to the risk of avian flu infection could be compromised by lax management and a lack of funds for resources and research, according to a report published next month
The report, entitled 'The challenge of avian influenza to the veterinary community', by Ilaria Capua and Dennis Alexander, is to be published in the June 2006 issue of Avian Pathology.
It highlights areas for improvement and stresses that coordination and close collaboration between the veterinary, medical and agricultural experts in the global A/H5N1 crisis is essential for a positive outcome of the efforts.
The report also reveals a lack of understanding about how the virus could spread and questions the effectiveness of pre-emptive culling as a means of containing an outbreak.
Dave Cavanagh, editor of Avian Pathology, comments: "As this study identifies, a universal solution to the prevention and control of Avian Flu does not exist.
"A combination of different strategies must be used, on the basis of the characteristics of the poultry industry at risk, which differs around the world, and of the goals that can be reasonably achieved.
"The most critical factor in preventing spread from an outbreak, and minimising the risk of it escalating into a pandemic, is early detection and the early intervention aimed at eradication.
"The report also proposes active surveillance of all flocks and calls for farmers to support such a programme by taking a more proactive approach to monitoring the health of their own flocks." The report advocates more active surveillance of all farm flocks to ensure effective detection at an early stage, as this could help to control the spread of the virus.
Specifically, the report calls for farmers and private veterinarians to submit regular samples taken from their flocks for diagnosis, despite the fact that they can be reluctant to take part in such programmes because of the fear of restrictions.
The report also clearly addresses the changes in the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) and EU legislation concerning avian influenza with particular reference to the notification of infection and the concept of compartmentalisation, which should represent a basis for managerial decisions in the poultry industry worldwide.
When it comes to containing outbreaks the report calls for more consistent guidance on the use of vaccines.
At the moment, multiple approaches are being taken to applying vaccines to affected or at risk flocks.
The report recommends that global consensus is required between the responsible authorities to provide a more consistent approach to managing and tracking the effectiveness of the vaccines and the ways they are applied.
The report concludes that neither vaccination or stamping out policies are likely to be effective as a means of controlling the spread of the virus if applied in isolation, and that they must be used as part of a multi-faceted approach to dealing with outbreaks in which the emphasis should be on prevention of spread by the application of good biosecurity.
Finally, the report highlights the fact that substantial research needs to undertaken in a number of areas as a matter of urgency.
Indeed research, including epidemiological studies, research into food safety aspects and interspecies transmission, is essential to the management of the epidemic.
Dave Cavanagh concludes: "The report makes it clear that it is only through close collaboration and transparency among all the players involved that the outcome of the international effort can be maximised to enable an improvement of public health worldwide".
Avian Pathology is ranked number 12 in the top 20 journals most cited within the Thomson Scientific (ISI) Essential Science Indicators Special Topic on Avian Influenza.
Avian Pathology publishes original material relevant to the entire field of infectious and non-infectious diseases of poultry and all other birds, including infections that may be of zoonotic/food-borne importance.
Subject areas include pathology; diagnosis; detection and characterisation of pathogens; gene sequences; epidemiology; immune responses; vaccines; genetics in relation to disease; and physiological and biochemical changes that are in response to disease.
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Dr Ilaria Capua - head of virology department at Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy is head of the National, FAO and OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) Reference Laboratories for Avian Influenza and Newcastle disease.
Between 1999 and 2003 Dr Capua was directly involved in managing several avian influenza and Newcastle disease epidemics and in 2000 developed the Diva (differentiating vaccinated from infected animals) strategy to combat avian influenza.
Since 1995 she has been involved with the European Commission, as a member of working groups of the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Commission.
Dr Capua participates in Global Influenza Pandemic Preparedness meetings and programmes at the WHO, FAO and the European Commission.
In 2005 she became Chairman of Offlu - the newly established OIE/FAO network on avian influenza, which supports developing countries in managing the avian influenza crisis and offering veterinary expertise to complement the international efforts of the medical community in managing the pandemic threat posed by avian influenza.
She is currently a member of the Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and chairman of EFSA's working group on avian influenza.
She is vice coordinator of the EU project Aviflu funded for 2002-2006 and coordinates an 11-partner project on avian influenza called Fluaid, to support the Asian avian influenza crisis, develop an EU vaccine bank for avian influenza and investigate other aspects of avian influenza.
Most recently, Dr Capua is coordinator of the work on Avian Influenza of Epizone scientific excellence network, which consists of more than 300 researchers from 16 international research centres.
Dr Dennis Alexander is an independent consultant virologist.
The former head of virology department VLA, Weybridge and Statutory, he worked as exotic virus research and surveillance programmes manager.
He is a OIE designated expert for Newcastle Disease and avian influenza and was awarded the Robert Fraser Gordon Memorial Medal for distinguished contributions to poultry science in 2000.
He has served on a variety of scientific committees and working groups including: the European Community Scientific Veterinary Committee [Animal Health] 1994-1997 and EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare 1997-2003 and subgroups of these committees, the OIE Ad Hoc Working Group on Newcastle disease 2000, OIE Expert Group on Avian Influenza 2002, OIE Ad Hoc Working Group on Avian influenza 2002 and 2004-2005, and the EFSA working group on avian influenza 2004-2005.
