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EPIDEMIC CONTROLMANUAL

AVIAN INFLUENZAwww.avian-influenza-disinfectant.com

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AVIAN INFLUENZA

Table of contents

The agent

Infection routes

A. Total Prevention Program A.1. Prevention measures A.2. Vehicle disinfection program A.3. How to clean and disinfect?B. Total decontamination Program B.1. Personnel decontamination B.2. Property decontamination B.2.a. First disinfection B.2.b. Clean-up procedures B.2.c. Full disinfection

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AVIAN INFLUENZA (A.I.)

The agentAvian Influenza is a viral infection to birds. The causal agent is an Influenza virus, type A. Infections with Influenza viruses type B and C do not occur with birds. Influenza viruses are RNA viruses and belong to the Orthomyxoviridae group.

The patoghenity of influenza viruses can differ a lot. Disease symptoms can vary from „no symptom“, mild pathogenic symptoms to 100% mortality. A.I. viruses are classified in 15 different sub-types, H 1 to H 15 based on haemaglutinine (H), a protein that forms a part of the viral envelope. We also distinguish nine different neuraminidases (N1-N9).

Influenza viruses with birds can cause a potential zoonotic risk to human beings. A.I. viruses can contaminate man directly, as has been the case with H5N1 infections in Hong-Kong in 1997 and in East Asia in 2004-2005. A number of people became ill and some died. Also in Holland a veterinarian who had been in

contact with infected birds died during the 2003 A.I. crisis and several people had a retina infection as a consequence of an infection with the H7N7-virus. At this time, it‘s impossible to predict which A.I. strains can be potentially infectious to men. As low pathogenic A.I. strains (LPAI) can mutate to highly pathogenic AI-virus (HPAI), hence LPAI is being fought as well.

Infection routesContamination of poultry in a new areas can be caused through contact with humans and movement of contaminated poultry. Primary outbreaks are caused through contact with wild birds or the import of exotic birds. Migrating waterfowl are an important source since outbreaks often occur at the time and in the place of migration. Contaminated birds spread the virus through respiratory ways, via the eye and through excrements or faeces. Transmission usually happens through direct contact between birds or indirectly through exposure with infected surfaces or equipment.

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Faeces or excrements can contain very high concentrations of the A.I. virus. Thus, it can be transmitted to birds, mamals and people, but also to feed, water, equipment, crates or trays, trucks and insects. The forced ventilation of poultry houses can spread the virus easily 1 km (2/3 of a mile) by pushing out contaminated dust particles (manure and feather particles). Wild birds hardly spread secondary infections.

Main sources for direct spreading are:

• Transport of life birds incl. the vehicles and crates.

• Bird shows and markets.

• Direct contact of poultry with waterfowl and coastal birds.

Passive mechanical spread can occur through:

• Poultry manure.

• Equipment, trucks, people and animals.

• Aeral spread of contaminated dust particles (aerogene spread, only over short distances, so not the main source).

• Water: open water like ponds, rivers, lakes, ... (contaminated by waterfol or coastal birds), drinking water reservoirs of birds.

• Poultry meat: the virus can survive for a long time in frozen meat. (not in coocked meat).

• eggs: the A.I. virus can be present on or in the egg. It‘s hardly transmittable to the chick as the embryo dies in an early phase of the incubation process.

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A. Total Prevention Program As wild birds are considered to be a major source of avian influenza, direct and indirect contact between your flocks and free flying birds (and their faeces) should be prevented. AI can be spread via faeces from infected birds on clothing or equipment. Therefore, it’s very important to control “traffic” between infected and uninfected farms/birds.

A.1. Prevention measures

Farm Level• Check the fence surrounding the farm.

• Entrance is forbidden to everyone. The poultry farms can only be entered with the permission of the farm manager or the appointed responsible. Permit the access only to these people that are strictly necessary on the farm e.g. personnel, veterinary services.

• Visiting two different farms within 48 hours should be avoided. If this is not possible, showering in between two visits is highly recommended. The team that catches

and loads poultry for slaughtering should also apply this measure.

• In order to improve control on the access of the farm, limit the farm to one entrance and exit. Clean and disinfect this road every day.

• If possible, leave vehicles outside the farm. Otherwise: vehicles must be cleaned (pay special attention to wheels, wheel arches & mudguards) and disinfected before entering the farm and before leaving the farm.

• Provide boot and wheel dip baths filled with a disinfectant, with a proven action against AI in field conditions. Ensure that the baths are renewed on daily basis.

• At arrival on the farm, one should report himself to the farm manager or an appointed responsible.

• Name of every visitor, date and reason of visit should be noted in the visitors register. Even if they don’t enter the barns.

• Be sure to place signs where action is needed!!!

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Barn Level• Keep the barn locked (key!) at all times.

• Only enter a poultry barn if necessary. Entrance of the barns is only done, by passing the changing room with hand-washing facilities, which is on the edge of the clean and dirty zone of the farm.

• Put a shower-in (and shower-out) policy into place.

• At the CLEAN SIDE of the shower:

- Put on clean clothes and booths which belong to the farm (= the best and safest way!)

- Or only use disposable clothes and boots, which are left at the farm after the visit.

• Make sure all materials, drugs, vaccines, etc. are cleaned/disinfected and/or passed a “quarantine storage room” (they should remain in a separate room for 10 days before entering the farm) before they are used at the farm. Keep this room clean! Adapt your buying policy to be able to do so.

• If different species are present on the farm, keep them and their equipment 100% separated.

• Put boot dips at entrance (and exit) of every barn and ensure their use!

• All material has to be cleaned and disinfected before and after usage.

• Fogging the empty barns can be part of a prevention program to minimise the risk of contamination as a 2nd disinfection. Check your disinfectant brochure to find the right dilution.

• Ensure that migrating birds or other wild animals cannot contaminate poultry pens and poultry drinking water and feed supplies. Make the barns bird proof!

• Clean and disinfect the dock after loading and unloading.

• Also apply an effective rodent control program.

• Avoid pets entering the barns!

A.2. Vehicle disinfection program.Preventing spread of disease does not end at the border of your farm. Many diseases are

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being spread by transportation. Therefore it is necessary to consider the importance of cleaning and disinfecting vehicles.

• Before applying the right procedures, be sure that you are wearing clean and disinfected clothing.

• Remove all equipment that can be dismantled and cannot be cleaned on the spot.

• Remove all dry litter, mud, straw from all surfaces, wheels, wheel arches etc.

• Use a powerful car & truck cleaning product to soak all surfaces. Pay attention to ceilings, wheels, lift, etc. Leave it for 15 to 30 minutes.

• Clean the removed equipment and other tools with a proper detergent.

• After soaking, rinse all surfaces and equipment under high pressure.

• Inspect your vehicle for possible remaining organic material.

• Your disinfectant should be compatible with your detergent, active in the presence of organic material, safe for your vehicle (ideally,

approved by a serious Automotive Industry Association) and effective at all temperatures.

• Disinfect all surfaces inside and out with the right disinfectant. Work your way down from the top to the bottom and pay attention to cracks and wheels. Do not forget the underside of the vehicle.

• Move the vehicle to a clean and disinfected place to let it drain and dry.

• Remove clothing and disinfect them.

A.3. How to clean and disinfect? Influenza viruses belong to the more weak virus group and are therefore relatively easy to kill.Just be aware of the fact organic material has a negative effect on the efficacy of your disinfectant: viruses, which are covered with manure, are well protected and can survive up to approx. 100 days. Complete removal of organic material is therefore an essential part of an effective disinfection procedure. After litter and manure is removed, clean and disinfect all surfaces, respecting the application recommendations of the manufacturer. Be sure that you use a

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broad spectrum disinfectant, which is proved also to be effective in the presence of at least 5% organic load and when applied with hard water! All high quality disinfectants can provide official test reports that prove the efficacy of the product at certain dilutions against the A.I. virus. However, it’s very important to know how the tests have been carried out! Only tests where field conditions are simulated (by adding organic material and using hard water) are relevant, as most disinfectants score remarkably better when tested in clean lab conditions (without adding organic material and with demineralised water).

B. Total decontamination program

B.1. Personnel decontaminationPeople working on infected premises are the most important vector. Therefore the risk of cross-contamination has to be minimised. All places where infected animals (dead or alive) are inspected, at slaughter sites, at the site of carcase disposal, or where manure, straw, beddings are removed from buildings pose the greatest risk at heavy personal contamination.

All persons should go through the same procedures when a personal decontamination site is established. Before entering and before leaving the contaminated site, personal decontamination has to be applied. All overalls should be disinfected (soaked in the proper disinfectant) and disposable ones should be put in a plastic bag and burned. Boots have to be disinfected and used only on the premises.

B.2. Property decontaminationAfter identifying the suspected disease, be sure to choose the right disinfectant. Use a broad

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spectrum disinfectant which is active at all temperatures and effective in the presence of organic matter.

B.2.a. First disinfectionPreliminary disinfection should be com-menced as soon as possible after the presence of disease is identified. All areas known to be infected should be decontaminated in order to reduce the risk of spread. Disinfect all buildings, roads, paths, entries, exits, ... One should continue to disinfect these areas step by step until the first clean-up procedures start.

B.2.b. Clean-up proceduresKilling of infected birds is normally done by a special team appointed by an official institute responsible for the control of infectious diseases. After birds have been killed, they should be transported in hermetic closed containers to special combustion furnaces.

• Thermal fogg the barn. We recommend fogging as spraying would increase the weight of the run out to be handled.

• Close the barn hermetically during 2 days. • After ventilation, remove all manure, dirt

and debris. The easiest and safest disposal of faecal material is burial. Transport of this manure, dirt and debris from the barn to the place where it will be burned, is ideally done in hermetic closed containers.

B.2.c. Full disinfection• Dismantle all material that cannot be

cleaned in place, clean and disinfect them.

• Use a foam- or gel forming detergent to soak roofs, walls, floors, boxes, feeders, drinkers or any other material that has been in direct contact with the birds.

• Gel improves the contacttime of the detergent with the soaked material for an improved cleaning result. Rinse all material under high pressure after 10 minutes. Let dry.

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• Disinfect all equipment and interior of buildings.

• Close buildings afterwards. Additional fogging is advised.

• Disinfect all exteriors of buildings, roads, paths, gates, roadways, entries and exits.

• A second full disinfection of the buildings is advised after 14 days. One can repeat the same full disinfection programme as before.

This brief hygiene protocol for poultry farms and visitors was established by FAVV* or FEDERAL AGENCY for the Safety of the Food Chain. It’s also applicable in mixed farms in case of a disease outbreak in other livestock.

(*): FAVV is the Belgian official institute that, in order to guarantee safe food, controls the whole food chain: ‘from farm to fork”. During outbreaks of animal diseases, FAVV issues measurements in order to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.

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