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1. Ten Deer Test Positive in Kansas for Chronic Wasting Disease, 2014-2015
infoZine Staff
Kansas City infoZine
July 16, 2015
Pratt, KS - infoZine - Samples were obtained from deer killed by hunters in southcentral and southwest parts of Kansas and from sick and/or suspect deer observed in the eastern, northcentral and northwest parts of the state. The 10 confirmed positives included two mule deer, one from Rawlins County and one from Scott County; and eight whitetails including two from Decatur County and one from each of the following counties, Norton, Meade, Hodgeman, Pawnee, Kearny, and Gray.
CWD testing began in 1996 to help track the occurrence of CWD in the state's wild deer, and nearly 25,000 tissue samples have undergone lab analysis since. The first CWD occurrence documented in a wild Kansas deer was a whitetail doe killed by a hunter in 2005 in Cheyenne County. Seventy-four deer have tested positive since testing began, and most have occurred in northwest Kansas, specifically Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties.
Full text:
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/62387/
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2. State confirms first EEE case in Cumberland County [NC]
North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services News Release
July 15, 2015
RALEIGH - A Cumberland County horse died last month after contracting Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis, a mosquito-borne disease that is preventable by vaccination. The 8-year-old Quarter horse died despite veterinary treatment.
This is the first reported case of EEE in North Carolina this year. The state recorded 12 EEE cases in horses in 2014. The virus has been detected in North Carolina for many years and is considered endemic, meaning the virus is now commonly found in the state and horse owners should take appropriate measures to protect their equine. State veterinary officials recommend horses receive the initial two-dose vaccine protocol, followed by booster shots every six months.
"If your horses exhibit any symptoms of EEE, contact your veterinarian immediately," said State Veterinarian Doug Meckes. "Several serious contagious diseases, such as West Nile virus, equine herpes virus and rabies, have similar symptoms and should be ruled out."
Full text:
http://www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/release/2015/7-13-First-case-of-EEE-in-Cumberland.htm
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3. First EEE death in SC reported in unvaccinated horse
Liv Osby
GreenvilleOnline.com
July 16, 2015
The first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis this year has been confirmed in South Carolina in an unvaccinated horse who died from the disease.
The horse contracted EEE, which is preventable by vaccination, in Barnwell County, according to state veterinarian Boyd Parr.
"Horse owners should check with their veterinarian to be sure their horses' vaccinations are up to date against both EEE and West Nile Virus," said Parr, who is also director of Clemson University Livestock-Poultry Health. "Vaccination is especially important in our coastal counties."
EEE is a mosquito-borne illness that kills 90 percent of infected horses. Symptoms include stumbling, circling, head pressing, depression or apprehension, weakness of legs, partial paralysis, the inability to stand and muscle twitching.
There were 49 cases of EEE in 2013, officials said.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/o8kwtgx
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4. Here's How Georgia's Poultry Industry Is Preparing For Bird Flu
Bradley George
GPB.org
July 16, 2015
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - More than 200 cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, have been reported in the U.S. There are none yet in Georgia, but that hasn't stopped the state's poultry industry from preparing. That's because chicken is big business here. We're the number one state for broiler chickens and tenth for egg production.
The heart of Georgia chicken country is Gainesville. This is where most of the state's poultry farmers and processors are based. It's also home to the Georgia Poultry Lab network, where Dr. Louise Dufor Zavala is director. She says samples from every commercial chicken raised in Georgia are tested at this facility and others like it in Tifton and Athens. They're ground zero for the state's response to a potential outbreak of avian flu.
"For influenza, for example, every flock is tested before they go to market, the broilers. And the long-lived flocks, the breeders and the layers, are tested at intervals throughout their life," she says.
If a bird tests positive, the sample would be sent to a lab in Iowa for confirmation. Another positive test means hundreds of birds on the affected farm would be euthanized. And the work begins to make sure the virus hasn't spread.
"There are two and six mile zones that are drawn around that index case, or that case of avian influenza," Dr. Zavala says. "And all the farms within that zone are tested every seven days for at least a month to see if the virus had the chance to move to other premises."
Full text:
http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/07/16/heres-how-georgias-poultry-industry-preparing-for-bird-flu
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5. Raising Poultry? Here Are 5 Ways To Guard Against Bird Flu [VT]
By Jane Lindholm & Patti Daniels
Vermont Public Radio
July 15, 2015
Agriculture officials are warning people who raise chickens and other fowl to take precautions against a bird flu that is spreading in the United States. It hasn't hit Vermont yet, but the Vermont Agency of Agriculture is concerned that it will, and it wants Vermonters with commercial poultry farms or just a couple of backyard chickens to be prepared.
Vermont Edition spoke to Dr. Shelley Mehlenbacher, the animal health section chief at the Vermont Agriculture Agency, about what precautions can be taken to prevent the spread of this disease and how the disease will impact flocks when it reaches Vermont.
This strain of avian flu is not the same as the flu that affected birds in Asia a few years ago, Dr. Mehlenbacher clarifies, but it is highly pathogenic and can cause a large amount of bird death in a very short period of time. It's spread by wild birds, as well as by feces, and turkeys are most susceptible to this strain of influenza, followed by chickens.
"It doesn't matter whether this is your hobby or your business. It's important for everybody to observe these bio-security practices," Mehlenbacher says. "And one of them is noting if you have wild birds that come to your property, and trying to decrease reasons for them to come to your property. So, do you keep your chickens by the pond that you have that wild birds come to? Do you do you keep litter or any kind of refuse that might attract wild birds anywhere near your chickens? You want to do things to decrease the chance that wild birds, that carry the disease silently, could come to your property and spread it to your chickens."
Full text:
http://digital.vpr.net/post/raising-poultry-here-are-5-ways-guard-against-bird-flu
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6. Illinois veterinary school fall conference set Sept. 17-18
By University of Illinois
Bovine Veterinarian
July 16, 2015
More than 70 sessions covering a broad range of topics await attendees of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine's Fall Conference for Veterinarians, the college's annual continuing education event.
This year the conference will take place Sept. 17-18 at the iHotel and Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois, about one mile west of the college. Programming includes up to 17 hours of CE credit for veterinarians. The early registration discount ends Aug. 31.
The conference will include more than 70 practice-relevant sessions. New clinical faculty members at the college who will be presenting at fall conference include experts in bovine reproduction, cardiology, ophthalmology, dermatology, equine surgery and equine reproduction.
Pre-conference classes on foreign animal disease will be offered Sept. 16, as part of the National Veterinary Accreditation Program.
Full text:
http://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/illinois-veterinary-school-fall-conference-set-sept-17-18
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7. Senate Appropriations Committee advances ag spending bill
By Jacqui Fatka
Feedstuffs
July 16, 2015
The week following the House Appropriations Committee marking up its agricultural spending bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up theirs as well with some differences existing between the two chambers.
Line by line many of the spending amounts are roughly the same with $2.7 billion for agricultural research in both. The House withholds 5% of the agency's funding until ARS takes certain steps in wake of the fallout from animal welfare concerns at a Nebraska research facility, while the Senate's approved manager's amendment contained non-binding report language that directs ARS procedures meet requirements of the Animal Welfare Act.
The funding bills have just a $5 million difference in the amount for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Both chambers gave the Farm Service Agency received approximately $1.5 billion for farm, conservation and emergency loan programs. The Senate specifically prohibits the closure of FSA county offices.
Full text:
http://feedstuffs.com/story-senate-appropriations-committee-advances-ag-spending-bill-45-129975
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