Agriculture official fears overreaction to avian flu

Agriculture Department officials are worried that the surge of publicity about a possible avian influenza pandemic might lead to a public "overreaction" if there is a routine "low-path" bird flu outbreak in the United States this winter.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven raised the concern Thursday at a briefing for reporters.

DeHaven emphasized that the "high-path" avian influenza, currently affecting parts of Asia and Europe and held responsible for some human deaths, has not been found in the United States in either birds or humans.

Federal and state government agencies and the poultry industry are working together to try to prevent that influenza from coming to the United States, DeHaven said. Preventative efforts include testing commercial flocks and migratory birds from Asia when they fly to Alaska.

But DeHaven added that "low-path" influenza, which is less serious, has existed in the United States since the early 1900s and that an outbreak this year would not be surprising.

Since the normal method of controlling bird disease in both cases is to kill the affected flocks, DeHaven said he and other officials "worry that if we have routine low-path [avian influenza] we set the stage for an overreaction."

Even if there is a low-path outbreak, DeHaven said, "There is no reason not to have turkey for Thanksgiving."

Members of Congress have begun to express concerns about avian influenza, but DeHaven said if the high-path influenza is detected in the United States, USDA has authority under the Animal Health Protection Act to impose regulations; restrict movements of birds, and spend money on an emergency basis to control the disease.

The USDA, DeHaven said, could use the Commodity Credit Corp. -- a line of credit at the Treasury Department used mainly to pay farm subsidies -- to pay for any emergency measures.

Furthermore, if high-path avian influenza does show up in birds that migrate to the United States, DeHaven said the presence of the disease should not affect U.S. poultry exports because international rules call for countries to "compartmentalize" diseases between migratory birds and commercial flocks.