Results: 2006 Alaska Avian Influenza Surveillance

News Release

2006 Alaska Avian Influenza Surveillance Wrap-up Available: No H5N1 Found

News Releases Home Page, Contacts, Bruce Woods (907)786-3695

In 2006, Alaska Department of the Interior agencies were tasked with testing more than 15,000 birds for the highly pathogenic avian influenza known as H5N1. Results from the 2006 field season have recently been published and are available to the public at http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/index.html and http://alaska.fws.gov/media/avian_influenza/index.htm.

Of the 16,807 samples that were lab tested during the season, 1.6% tested positive for some form of avian influenza. This result is to be expected, since there are144 separate forms of ?bird flu,? many of which are known to be present in American bird species, pose no threat to domestic poultry or humans, and may not even produce noticeable symptoms in wild birds. No evidence of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was detected, nor was any other highly pathogenic avian influenza strain found in Alaska.

The detailed report summarizes the 2006 sampling program conducted in Alaska by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and their partners. It provides in-depth information on sampling methods used, species sampled, number of samples obtained per geographic area, and influenza test results for all samples analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey?s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin (http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov).

For additional information on avian influenza surveillance in Alaska, including links to photographs for media use and a wide range of other helpful websites, go to: http://alaska.fws.gov/media/avian_influenza/index.htm , http://www.avianflu.alaska.gov/, or to http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/index.html

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

- FWS-

• http://tinyurl.com/2jutgg

Maybe results but…
I am uncomfortable with the discrepancy between the headline and the content (note where I’ve added emphasis above).

I am uncomfortable with the discrepancy between this release from the Alaska agency and the news released from elsewhere (Search for bird results or Search for bird tests)

I’m uncomfortable, in following the links above to the so-called actual results, I still cannot find them. [Results from the 2006 field season have recently been published and are available to the public at....]

I’m uncomfortable with an official website which contains cold links (not formatted to be clicked on) Here’s the hot link

• http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/
  The detailed report summarizes the 2006 sampling program conducted in Alaska…

I’m uncomfortable, in following the links above to the latest governmental sources, that those “latest” are dated April 2006.

• As of April 2006, the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 avain [sic] influenza has not been observed in Alaska or elsewhere in North America.
• http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/index.html

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I’ll have screenshots of the webpages as retrieved posted at the companion Flickr set for use in evaluating the public involvement components of civic actions.

• http://flickr.com/photos/hlthenvt/sets/72157594189834822/detail/

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