By Blake Jackson
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is monitoring France's new avian influenza vaccination program and waiting to learn more about its effectiveness before making a decision about whether to implement a similar program in the US.
In the meantime, the USDA has banned French poultry to protect American farms and their access to valuable export markets.
The US has traditionally favored stamping out, or killing infected flocks, to control avian influenza. However, France bucked this trend by starting to vaccinate ducks on October 1st after avian influenza destroyed 85% of the birds in its foie gras industry.
The USDA is concerned that vaccination could mask clinical signs of infection, making it difficult to distinguish infected birds from vaccinated ones. This could lead to the spread of the disease to other countries.
Chris Herr, executive vice president of PennAg Industries Association, said vaccination makes a lot of sense for Pennsylvania.
The USDA is also concerned about the trade implications of vaccination. Many countries, including the US, do not consider a country to be free of avian influenza if it vaccinates against the disease. This means that if the US began to vaccinate, it could face widespread bans on its poultry exports.
The USDA is currently evaluating the risks and rewards of vaccination and will make a decision about whether to implement a similar program in the US once it has more information.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-wikoski
Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock, Poultry