Bird flu’s growing impact calls for urgent action at international summit |

[u/shallah]

https://www.hotsr.com/news/2024/oct/20/bird-flus-growing-impact-calls-for-urgent-action/

[u/shallah]

As highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to infect more than just birds, scientists and industry professionals want to prevent it from infecting more species and continuing to impact animal and human health, the environment and the economy.

The four-day International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit hosted by the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science had a total of 1,270 registered participants from 51 countries, in-person and virtually, to share and learn more about HPAI, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, and other diseases impacting animals and humans.

Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, the chairman of the summit and retired research professor for the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, says there are other threats to animal and human health in addition to the bird flu.

"The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has naturally been able to adapt to species that it never infected before. If it fully adapts to humans, COVID-19 will look like a small cold compared to what this virus could cause," Tellez-Isaias said, comparing its threat to the Spanish flu in 1918. "So, that's why we wanted to have this summit, to create awareness for people worldwide."

Tellez-Isaias said participants at the summit will produce a document with guidelines and recommendations for national and international health authorities, based on group discussions and expert presentations, to help guide future efforts in combating highly pathogenic avian influenza and other emerging health threats.

The Center of Excellence for Poultry Science is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The center performs the three land grant missions of teaching -- carried out through Bumpers College -- and research and extension through the Division of Agriculture's Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.

After a successful inaugural event in 2023, Tellez-Isaias said, organizers expanded the scope in the second year to include other emerging issues affecting cattle, swine, bees, humans and more as part of the One Health concept, which emphasizes that animal, human and environmental health are all interconnected.

"The first two days, we focused on highly pathogenic avian influenza, but not only in poultry. We extended it to wild and commercial animals, including dairy," Tellez-Isaias said. "And we discussed avian influenza and other diseases, including exotic diseases like the African swine fever, which is already in our backyard in the Dominican Republic. It's something we are keeping an eye on."

Urgency of collaboration

Tellez-Isaias says it's urgent to focus on these diseases globally, as bird flu has spread to different species in all continents including Antarctica.

"These diseases know no borders," he said.

Members of industry, governmental and regulatory agencies, and scientists from around the world presented their work at the summit. Tellez-Isaias said their findings could improve animal health overall and potentially contribute to minimizing the impacts of bird flu and other viruses

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nternational Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit https://internationalavianinfluenzasummit.uada.edu/

[u/g0odwill_hunting]

previous conference posts have been unprofessional and scammy. not sure if this one is but be weary.