BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — To date, Illinois has been lucky in not experiencing the avian influenza outbreak that is affecting domestic poultry and other waterfowl in at least 20 other states, Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman James Fraley said Monday.

Cleanliness and sanitation may help keep the virus from spreading from flock to flock. Another factor is the state’s ban on allowing importation of domestic birds from other states, said Fraley, livestock specialist for the IFB.

Different states have experienced outbreaks of the disease caused by different strains of the virus, with the H5N2 strain causing outbreaks in the Midwest. The disease may have reached a peak in the nation at this time, but other outbreaks could occur from the migratory paths of wild birds flying south from the north this fall, Fraley said Monday in a phone interview with Farm World.

Bird droppings and secretions from the eyes, nose and mouth of infected wild birds can contaminate soil or water in the flyways, he said. The contaminated soil and water can infect other domestic and wild birds in the area, as can direct contact between birds.

The virus can spread rapidly in large poultry production facilities where thousands of birds are housed in close proximity, according to the June 1 Issues publication. Control measures often involve culling the flock to prevent further spread. Millions of chickens and turkeys have been destroyed this year in attempts to curb spread of the virus, and consumers may find the cost of chicken food products in grocery stores become more costly, Fraley said.

Salmonella

Not associated with the H5N2 virus is the incident in which Aspen Foods, a division of Koch Poultry Co. of Chicago, is recalling about 1.9 million pounds of frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken, he said.

According to USDA, the recalled products list the establishment number P-1358 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The use dates are July 14, 2016, and Oct. 10, 2016. The products were shipped to retail stores and food service locations nationwide, according to the news release issued Thursday.

Fraley said the incident could have been caused by defective or unclean surfaces and other materials used in the packing plant, which allowed the salmonella to spread. He said thoroughly cooking the chicken products would destroy the salmonella bacteria. Anything less than thorough would not, however, he stressed.

The USDA release said that salmonella illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, the diarrhea may be so severe in some cases that hospitalization is necessary. Older adults, infants and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. 

Also, Barber Foods of Portland, Maine, is recalling about 1.7 million pounds of frozen raw stuffed chicken products for suspected salmonella bacteria, the USDA announced last week. The chicken was produced from Feb. 17 to May 20 of this year.

On July 2, Barber Foods recalled about 58,300 pounds of frozen, raw, stuffed chicken produced on Jan. 29, Feb. 20 and April 23. The establishment number inside the USDA mark of inspection is P-276.

Food safety act

Fraley also praised U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, for stepping in Friday and vowing to continue working to fully fund the resources needed for the Food and Drug Administration to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“The food safety allocation in this bill falls short of what is needed to reduce food-borne illness in this country,” Durbin said in a Thursday news release from Washington, D.C. “I am hopeful that, as this funding bill moves through the appropriations process, we can work across the aisle to increase the funding for FDA’s implementation of the FSMA – a law that enjoys broad support from a diverse group of stakeholders.”

FDA estimates $276 million in additional funding is needed to implement the FSMA. Fraley said Durbin has always been conscientious about the health of the people.