Emergency Poultry Disease Response Certificate

Curriculum:

Day 1: Monday, June 18, 2012

Day 2: Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Day 3: Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Day 4: Thursday, June 21, 2012

Module Descriptions:

Introduction: What is an emergency response?  How is this program going to be organized?  What are the key steps in a response?  How can the emergency poultry disease response model be used for other animal emergencies?

Discussion-Past and Current Avian Influenza Situations in Home Regions:  Participants are encouraged to share with other participants what has happened in their host countries.  Have there been any recent avian influenza outbreaks?  How were they handled?  What are the current problems?

Influenza Viruses and Detection:  What is the “Avian bird flu”?  How does AI spread?  What are hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, and what do they do?  How can influenza viruses be detected?

The United States Live Bird Market System:  The United States has a number of regional live bird markets which are managed differently than the larger integrated commercial poultry industry. These differences can pose biosecurity challenges.  Strategies to deal with the challenges of the US live bird market system will be discussed.

Personnel Protective Equipment: What types of personal protective equipment (PPE) are required during an outbreak response?  The use and appropriateness of N95 masks, powered air purifying respirators and self contained breathing apparatus will be discussed.

PPE and Biosecurity Procedures for Proper AI Surveillance Swab Collection: What types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and biosecurity procedures are required to collect surveillance field samples properly?

Proper Surveillance Swabbing-Hands-On: Demonstration and participation in proper collection of field samples and the use of personal protective equipment.

Surveillance in Wild Birds and Poultry: A critical step in emergency poultry disease preparedness and response involves wild bird and commercial poultry surveillance programs.  These programs involve the testing of migratory birds nationally and internationally including the USDA, DOI and its cooperators (including the State of Delaware and the University of Delaware).  In January 2006, the U.S. commercial poultry industry initiated an avian influenza testing program.  All broiler flocks from participating companies, including all four broiler companies on the Delmarva Peninsula, are tested and confirmed AI negative before going to slaughter. 

Discussion-Surveillance and Live Bird Market Systems: Participants are encouraged to share with other participants about the surveillance methods and programs utilized in their home countries and the live bird market systems found there.  What are some of the lessons learned from your surveillance programs and dealings with live bird markets?

Application of Incident Command Systems (ICS) to Poultry Emergencies:  ICS is a scalable framework designed for emergency response.  ICS can be used for emergencies such as fire protection to poultry diseases response.  The same framework can be used for disease response, structural incidents, and similar.

Zoonotic & Foreign Animal Diseases: Why do existing and emerging zoonotic and foreign animal diseases represent a continuing threat to national and international agriculture, human health, and national security?  How the confluence of veterinary and human health should require the “One Medicine Concept” approach to dealing with the problem.

Delmarva’s Outbreak Response:  The Delmarva Peninsula is a high density poultry production region.  In 2004, a LPAI outbreak on Delmarva was contained after relatively limited spread due to a well developed response plan that was in place before the outbreak. The plan had a clear cut emergency management structure.  Poultry emergencies require a multifaceted response and control strategy.  After the detection of an avian influenza outbreak, all response plans involve quarantine, further testing of flocks in and around the quarantine zone, then depopulation, decontamination including carcass disposal, cleaning and disinfecting.  The successes of the 2004 response, along with lessons learned from that response, have been used to guide the development of new emergency response procedures.

Other Models of Control-Vaccination and Controlled Marketing: Depopulation is one approach used to control the spread of avian influenza and other diseases.  Vaccination and controlled marketing can be key tools for the prevention and control of avian influenza. Both techniques are used internationally.  Vaccination can be used to help contain outbreaks, reduce viral shedding, and decrease transmission, but can also reduce detection of sick birds.

Guidelines, Methods and Criteria for Depopulation:  There are a limited number of mass emergency depopulation procedures.  Guidelines from the US Department of Agriculture, American Veterinary Medical Association, OIE, and others guide the selection of appropriate depopulation techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of several gas depopulation techniques will be discussed.

Foam Depopulation: Foam depopulation was developed as a fast, humane, and easy to implement mass emergency depopulation procedure.  The procedure reduces the number of people required and can rapidly depopulate floor reared poultry.  Participants will learn the characteristics of foam, the science behind the procedure, and how to implement foam depopulation.

Depopulation Demonstration: Two different water based foam depopulation methods will be demonstrated.  Depending on time and conditions, participants will have the opportunity to operate the equipment.

Discussion – OIE Categories and Culling/Depopulation Methods Currently in Use: Participants are encouraged to share with other participants about their poultry industry (including OIE categories) and the depopulation methods currently utilized in their home countries.  What are some of the lessons learned from past experience and dealings with emergency mass culling or depopulation?

Allen Laboratory Tour: The Allen Laboratory is a state of the art BSL 3 Ag facility that allows faculty and staff at the University of Delaware to perform cutting edge research with a variety of viruses and pathogens.  The tour will include discussion of how the building was designed and a tour of the animal and laboratory spaces.

Biosecurity:  Biosecurity is one of the principle steps in preventing the spread of disease.  Biosecurity is the one aspect of avian influenza control that can be practiced on a daily basis.  Examples of current methods, including risk assessment biosecurity programs will be discussed.

Incident Command Structures (ICS) and Perdue’s Lesson Learned:  ICS is a scalable system used for commanding, controlling and coordinating the efforts of individual agencies as they work towards the common goal of stabilizing an emergency.  The system provides the framework for people from multiple agencies to work together.  In this module, representatives will discuss how ICS was part of Perdue’s response during regional poultry disease emergencies.

Dealing with a long term outbreak – Virginia 2002: The poultry industry in the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was affected by a LPAI outbreak in turkeys, broilers and layers, costing the industry an estimated $130 million.  Many lessons were learned from this outbreak which lasted over four months, involved a total of 197 infected farms and required 4.7 million birds to be depopulated.

Disposal Options:  After catastrophic poultry emergencies, whether avian influenza, heat stress, or otherwise, requires disposing of large numbers of birds.  One of the critical concerns in selecting a disposal method is biosecurity.  Depending on the circumstances, the options may be limited.  The advantages and disadvantages of several disposal options including on-farm burial, landfilling, incineration, and composting are reviewed.  The science and fundamental principles behind composting will be presented.

Implementing Composting: Composting is an effective on-farm means of inactivating avian influenza virus.  Composting is suitable for international and domestic carcass disposal.  Composting has been used for both daily and catastrophic mortality disposal.  Daily mortality disposal has been successfully used on Delmarva since the 1980’s, while in-house composting is slightly newer.  Procedures for both daily and catastrophic mortality are reviewed, including the mix & pile and layering techniques.

Composting Demonstration:  Both daily and catastrophic composing will be demonstrated.

International Backyard flocks and Live Bird Market Systems: International Backyard flocks and Live Bird Market Systems:  Live bird markets and village/backyard flocks present a unique challenge for both developed and developing nations.  Backyard flocks and live bird market systems in countries in Africa and Asia will be discussed. This will include specific programs in Nigeria and Bangladesh geared towards biosecurity in farms and markets and how these programs can be used to reduce the risk of AI transmission. The module will also discuss the new trend of raising backyard poultry in the US and the risk it poses to the US poultry industry. Case reports will be used to illustrate the risks.

Emergency Poultry Disease Response Table Top Exercise: Participants will take part in a table top response exercise involving a fast moving emergency poultry disease..

Implementing Disinfection: How are disinfectants classified?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of these different classes of disinfectants?  What is different about the newer generation of disinfectants?  What is the impact of organic material on the efficacy of these agents?  What are the key characteristics of a disinfection strategy? Which chemicals should be used and how should they be applied? What consideration should be given to disinfecting equipment?

Equipment Disinfection Demonstration: Skid steer loaders are extensively used in United States emergency management situations.  One of the problems of using skid steer loaders is disinfecting the equipment after the outbreak.  Unfortunately, disinfecting the equipment can be problematic, with numerous occluded spaces and blind holes.  In this demonstration, participants will get to use a liquid spray and thermal fog and see the problems of trying to achieve optimal disinfectant penetration on equipment.

Link to PDF document of Curriculum