Abstract Title
A National Targeted Surveillance Program for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Migratory Birds in the United States
Abstract
Designing and implementing disease surveillance systems in wildlife at the national scale is challenging, especially when a system needs to achieve a specific level of detection, achieve early detection, or provide inference related to disease risk. In the United States, a national surveillance system for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild migratory birds was established in 2006 to serve as a unified system for the early detection and monitoring of HPAI in wild migratory birds. We will give an overview of the surveillance plan, which focuses on sampling apparently healthy waterfowl from areas identified as high risk of HPAI presence using a hierarchical Bayesian occupancy model framework. We will also share results of the past four years (Summer 2021 – present) of targeted surveillance efforts, wherein USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services and its partners tested >100,000 wild birds across the four North American Flyways. Since the initial detection of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 HPAI in the U.S. in 2022, targeted surveillance efforts have led to >5,400 detections of HPAI in at least 79 species of wild birds from 48 States. Analyses of spatial, temporal, and genetic data obtained from wild bird HPAI detections have provided invaluable insights on the epidemiology of the outbreak, identified important virus reassortants, and informed both national and global actions to mitigate disease risk. Critical elements to the success of the program have included: strong interagency collaboration, quick and accurate laboratory diagnoses, rapid communication of results, and continuous support from government organizations and industry stakeholders.
Co-Author(s)
JULIANNA B. LENOCH, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Disease Program
SARAH N. BEVINS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Disease Program
JOURDAN RINGENBERG, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Disease Program
MICHAEL MILLESON, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Disease Program
SCOTT STOPAK, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Disease Program
RYAN S. MILLER, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health
Abstract Category
Notable outbreaks, field and molecular epidemiology, and surveillance in wild birds