To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2002 2:09 PM Subject: END Update

I have been attending a national meeting for 3 days and that is why I didn't send you an update sooner. Many of you have sent me E-mail. I don't have time to answer everyone individually so hope to address the questions I received here.

The END situation hasn't changed very much in the last few days. The Task Force continues to locate a few more premises with birds that test positive for END. At this point this is believed to be an area outbreak that is primarily in small flocks of chickens. No links have been found to birds in other areas or other states. No chickens have been found infected that would be classified as commercial egg or meat poultry. Some birds of other spies have probably been depopulated because they were considered to have had dangerous contacts with infected chickens. As of Oct 30th at 5:00 p.m.

Premises under quarantine 134
Premises found positive 25
Premises depopulated 52 (up 11 from previous report)
Counties where positive birds have been found - Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino

Questions

What bird species have been involved?

Chickens are the primary birds that have been found infected. One pigeon and one peafowl have been confirmed positive. Both were thought to be in direct contact with infected chickens. This does not mean that other species can't become infected but they probably have not been exposed. It also seems likely that few pet birds have been tested at this time. You must keep in mind that we can not test all of the premises in these three counties with birds. There are thousands of such premises in these three counties. We are asking all of you to help us by avoiding dangerous contacts so that your birds don't become infected!

Are there procedures in place to allow bird and poultry shows or bird marts to continue?

The official agreement discussed in a previous posting is still under review by the legal department. If you need more detailed information you may contact Dr. Prasad (Dr. H. L. Shivaprasad) at: . Our avian pathologists still feel that shows or Bird Marts are at increased risk and they recommend that they be canceled. Several poultry shows have already been canceled.

Someone asked why I use the term depopulated.

To us that means that the birds were humanly euthanized and disposed of in a sanitary way.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 3:52 PM Subject: END Update

END Update

Premises under quarantine 78
Premises depopulated 31
Premises waiting depopulation 5 - all scheduled for depop on Friday
Total birds depopulated 8,058
Personnel mobilized 170

New Areas - Infected birds have been found in San Bernardino and Perris.

This is the first time San Bernardino County has been involved. Some of the small flocks indentified recently appear to have been infected a week or two previously.

About Bird Shows

It is clearly more dangerous to hold shows at this time especially in Los Angles and Riverside counties. If any bird in a show dies or shows signs thought to be symptomatic of Exotic Newcastle Disease it is likely that the show will be quarantined and if END positive all birds at the show will be depopulated. The quarantine could last several days which would be costly and inconvenient for bird owners even if tests show there was no Exotic Newcastle Disease.

The Exotic Newcastle Task Force is working on a document to create a compliance agreement with future cage bird, poultry and pigeon shows. This document should be available Saturday 10/26.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 2:05 PM
Subject: END Progress Report

Bad News

According to recent CDFA reports, there were two new suspect positives and two new dangerous contacts between Friday last week and Tuesday this week. More birds had to be depopulated.

About Bird Shows

It is clearly more dangerous to hold shows at this time especially in Los Angles and Riverside counties. If any bird in a show dies or shows signs thought to be symptomatic of Exotic Newcastle Disease it is likely that the show will be quarantined and if END positive all birds at the show will be depopulated. The quarantine could last several days which would be costly and inconvenient for bird owners even if tests show there was no Exotic Newcastle Disease.

The Exotic Newcastle Task Force is working on a document to create a compliance agreement with future bird shows.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 1:52 PM
Subject: EXOTIC NEWCATLE DISEASE IN CAGED (EXOTIC) BIRDS

FACT SHEET

EXOTIC NEWCATLE DISEASE IN CAGED (EXOTIC) BIRDS

Introduction: Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) is a highly contagious viral disease of many species of birds. END can cause high mortality (up to 90%) in chickens. Psittacine as well as other caged birds are also susceptible to END. Birds illegally smuggled into the United States are not quarantined and tested by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and birds may carry END virus. Therefore, END is a threat to the cage bird industry. An END outbreak in cage birds in Florida in 1980 resulted in the death of approximately 8000 birds and the depopulation of 30,307 birds in 23 states that cost the USDA $1,166,253.00.

Symptoms: Are highly variable and non-specific in cage birds. One of the classical symptoms of END is tremors and involuntary shaking of head and body when the bird attempts movement. Other symptoms may include anorexia, depression, diarrhea, paralysis, twisted neck, respiratory difficulty, ocular discharge, loss of weight, etc. Similar symptoms may be seen with other avian diseases also. Therefore, confirmatory testing in a laboratory is necessary for a diagnosis of END.

Incubation period: May vary from 2 to 17 days depending on the species of the bird, management factors, concurrent infections, etc. Cockatiels, budgies, amazons, cockatoos are highly susceptible. Other species such as Lory’s, macaws, canaries, finches, Mynah’s, African grey’s may not show symptoms but may act as carriers.

Lesions: Range from none to hemorrhages in the digestive and respiratory tracts, plaques in the pharynx and glottis. Other lesions may include hepatosplenomegaly and ascites.

Diagnosis: Can be made in live bird by virus isolation from feces, cloacal and tracheal swabs. Lung, intestine, brain, liver and spleen are suitable organs for virus isolation. Serology can be used for screening.

Treatment: There is no treatment for END. Vaccination is not effective.

If unusual mortality is observed notify END task force hotline 1-800-491-1899. Submit dead birds to one of the CAHFS laboratories located in:
San Bernardino: 909-383-4287
Fresno: 559-498-7740
Turlock: 209-634-5837
Davis: 530-752-8700
The premises are quarantined until diagnosis is made.

END is a federal reportable disease and any person or veterinarian who suspects it should report the disease to the state veterinarian.

Prepared by Dr. H. L. Shivaprasad, California END task force.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 4:12 PM
Subject: Good News!

Good News! There were no new Newcastle Disease cases reported during last week. There is still a lot of work to be done by the Task Force to assure that there is no further spread of the virus. It will be some time before they can be reasonably sure that this outbreak is contained. We continue to encourage everyone with valuable birds to be careful and avoid contact with any birds of unknown health status.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 11:41 AM
Subject: Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Update

Thursday, October 17

Bird Shows are still canceled on State/County Fair Grounds but shows on other facilities are released. If you have a show scheduled soon on a fair ground you may be able to hold it if you contact the CDFA, Animal Health Branch. You will be asked to cooperate with the Department and follow certain guidelines. Next week we hope to have a program in place that will allow shows to continue safely. To get information about how to get a show cleared telephone the CDFA, Animal Health Branch at 916-654-1447.

Please keep in mind that the risk of Exotic Newcastle spread is at a higher level than in normal times. If you have prized birds at home it is wise to take precautions at this time to be sure that you do not expose them to this virus. The problem is that we don't know where it might be. Some bird species may be able to carry the virus without showing obvious symptoms. Poultry/bird auctions and swap meets are probably the most dangerous places to visit at this time.

If you are concerned about the validity of these posts please be aware that all of them are sent to the END Task Force. If I say anything wrong they will notify me quickly and I will correct it.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 1:52 PM
Subject: Exotic Newcastle Disease (END)

Please excuse some redundancy in this post. Some people were added to this list recently and may not have the same background information as others of you. Here are some questions we have received recently.

Question: Where were the birds located that were found to be infected with END?

All infected birds found so far have been in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. Areas: 1. Lancaster, 2. Montebello/Pico Rivera, 3. Compton, 4. Norco/Corona.

Question: I only have finches, can they become infected?

Yes, as far as we know all bird species can become infected. The severity of the disease that results after infection with the virus may vary widely. Typical symptoms are: sneezing; coughing; gasping for air; nasal discharge; greenish, watery diarrhea; depression; muscular tremors; twisting of the head or neck, complete paralysis; swelling around the eyes and in the neck, sudden death.

Question: Will vaccination protect my birds from infection?

We don't think that vaccination will protect birds against infection with this virus.

To: "UC List for Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) Releases"
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 9:02 AM
Subject: Update Mon. afternoon

I have just completed a telephone conference with the END Task Force. This is the best information I have but it is unofficial. The California Department of Food and Agriculture, Animal Health Branch (CDFA-AHB) currently has stopped all poultry or avian shows. It does not matter where they are held. In most cases only the shows scheduled at fairgrounds have been notified due to limited available staff time. There are no restrictions on bird movement into, within or out of Calif.

The disease has been found in small flocks of game chickens and in mixed poultry flocks. The government is not trying to keep it secret!! They held a news conference but few newspapers showed interest. Raising game chickens is not illegal in California and they are often exhibited at fairs and poultry shows. The policy concerning shows is under review with the thought that shows may?? be allowed again if show organizers are willing to cooperate.

Investigations continue. Birds on two locations were humanely killed and put in the land fill over the past week end. All properties with birds adjacent to infected properties are checked and when staff are available the area where birds are tested may be expanded. So far 5526 birds have been killed, 39 properties are under quarantine, 16 properties were found to be positive or were depopulated due to symptoms or proximity to infected locations. Bird owners are compensated at some negotiated value. No commercial poultry have been implicated.

We ask for your patience; this is a large and time consuming task and it will take a few weeks to investigate all the possible places where it may have spread even if no additional birds become infected. It appears that END had been in California poultry for a month or more before the State Veterinarian became aware of it. Credit our excellent laboratory system with identifying it quickly.

During this time of increased risk of END we recommend that you stay away from places where birds from different locations may congregate if you have birds at home that you prize. If you encounter birds shower and change clothing before you again have close contact with your birds. Remember birds that you encounter may be infected and show no symptoms.

More information will be sent soon if I can get anything new.