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**Preparing for the Potential Arrival of Asian H5N1 Avian Influenza in
the United States**

Type A avian influenza viruses are naturally found in waterfowl and
shorebird species. However, the emergence of a new avian influenza
strain (Asian H5N1) has raised concerns regarding the potential impact
on the health of wild birds, domestic poultry, and people. Although the
Asian H5N1 subtype is not in North America at this time, some ways the
virus could possibly arrive here include the illegal transport of
domestic and wild birds, contaminated products, infected travelers, an
act of bioterrorism, or the migration of infected wild birds.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is involved with Asian H5N1
surveillance and monitoring because DOI has authority for managing and
protecting wildlife, including migratory birds, under various laws and
treaties. In addition, DOI has responsibility for protecting the health
of employees and visitors on more than 500 million acres of federal
lands across the nation. To fulfill these obligations, DOI and a broad
array of partners are conducting early surveillance efforts to detect
the Asian H5N1 avian influenza virus in North American migratory birds.
DOI is also making plans should Asian H5N1 arrive in North America to
protect the health and safety of its employees and the more than 450
million people who visit Department-managed lands each year.

DOI surveillance efforts are focused on planning a coordinated and
comprehensive surveillance and detection program that will serve to
provide an early warning to the agriculture, public health, and wildlife
communities if migratory birds are found infected with H5N1. This
program involves collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, state
agencies (including Hawaii and Pacific Trust Territories), and others.

As the primary science and research agency of DOI, the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) has a long history of responding to wildlife disease
emergencies and conducting wildlife disease investigations. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), another DOI agency, has primary
responsibility for managing the nation's wildlife. FWS administers the
National Wildlife Refuge System, with many of its 545 refuges providing
critical nesting, migration, and wintering habitat for waterfowl and
other migratory birds. FWS also works with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to regulate the importation of wild birds for the pet
trade, research, and other purposes. The National Park Service (NPS),
also within DOI, has a key role in managing the natural resources of the
National Park System, as well as protecting the health of its visitors.
At National Parks across the country, NPS hosts 32 commissioned officers
of the U.S. Public Health Service to meet this crucial responsibility.

Currently, surveillance and monitoring for early detection of Asian H5N1
is ongoing in Alaska, because of its close proximity within the Pacific
Flyway to Asia. In partnership with the State of Alaska, the FWS, and
the USGS, biologists have been strategically sampling migratory birds
for H5N1 in the Pacific Flyway since August 2005, in places where birds
that regularly migrate between Asia and North America are known to
congregate and to nest. The USGS/FWS project complements the efforts of
biologists from USDA, Alaska Museum, and University of Alaska --
Fairbanks; this project is coordinated among the groups to maximize
sampling of different species of wild birds at different locations,
avoiding duplication of effort.

Proposed H5N1 avian influenza projects for 2006 that involve
collaboration among DOI, USDA, and a wide range of state and territory
wildlife agencies include:

-   *Investigation of Disease Outbreak Events in Wild Birds*: Nearly 60
    species of wild birds have been shown to be susceptible to infection
    with the Asian H5N1 subtype of AI. While not all species infected
    exhibit disease, the current strain(s) of H5N1 circulating in Asia
    do cause illness and death in many wild bird species. **The
    systematic investigation of disease events in wild birds offers the
    highest and earliest probability of detecting HPAI, should it be
    introduced into the United States by migratory birds.** State
    natural resource agencies and Federal refuges and parks, primarily
    within the FWS National Wildlife Refuge System and the NPS System,
    are in the best position to detect and respond to mortality events
    involving wild birds. Such events involving wildlife are often
    detected by, or reported to, these agencies and entities. This
    strategy capitalizes on an existing morbidity/mortality (disease
    outbreak) program being conducted by DOI and its partners.

-   *Targeted Surveillance for H5N1 in Live Wild Birds*: This effort
    will target bird species in North America that represent the highest
    risk of being exposed to, or infected with, Asian H5N1 avian
    influenza, because of their migratory movement patterns, including
    birds that migrate directly between Asia, Oceania (including Hawaii
    and Trust Territories), and North America, or birds that may be in
    contact with species from areas in Asia with reported avian
    influenza outbreaks. This strategy incorporates sampling of
    live-captured, apparently healthy wild birds to detect the presence
    of H5N1 virus or antibodies to the virus. Data collected by
    organizations currently conducting research and monitoring for avian
    influenza in Alaska will be combined with additional bird captures
    to provide a broad species and geographic surveillance effort. This
    strategy also capitalizes on current research activities of DOI,
    USDA and other partners.

-   *Targeted Sampling of Hunter-Taken Birds*: Hunter check stations
    operated by the FWS and state natural resource agencies for
    waterfowl hunting provide an opportunity to collect additional
    samples to determine the presence of highly pathogenic H5N1 and
    other subtypes of avian influenza viruses. These samples will
    supplement the targeted surveillance samples from wild birds. As
    with targeted surveillance of live-captured birds, sampling of
    hunter-killed birds will focus on species that are most likely to
    have been exposed to HPAI in Asia; have relatively direct migratory
    pathways from those areas to the United States via Alaska or
    directly to the Pacific Coast; or that mix in migratory staging
    areas in Alaska with species that could bring the virus from Asia.
    Collection of samples from these species will also occur at hunter
    check stations in the lower 48 states during hunting seasons in
    areas where these birds gather during migration or over-wintering.

The HPAI surveillance/response effort relies upon the combination of
strategies described above to achieve the broadest possible detection
capability in the shortest amount of time.

Within the USGS, the primary field offices involved are the Alaska
Science Center in Anchorage, AK, and the National Wildlife Health Center
in Madison, WI. The Alaska Science Center addresses important natural
resources issues and natural hazards assessments in Alaska and
circumpolar regions through long-term data collection and monitoring,
satellite tracking of migratory birds, research and development, and
assessments and applications. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center
(NWHC) is a wildlife health investigations and research laboratory that
serves Federal, state, and tribal agencies in responding to wildlife
disease outbreaks. Together with its Honolulu Field Station, which
serves Hawaii and the Pacific Trust Territories, the NWHC is the
principal facility relied upon by the DOI, as well as most states, to
assist in the investigation and diagnosis of wildlife diseases,
including migratory birds. The NWHC maintains an extensive database on
wildlife mortality events across the United States and Canada, with
contributions by Federal, state, and tribal agencies, as well as their
counterparts in Canada. The NWHC also support and houses the Wildlife
Disease Information Node, a thematic node of the USGS National
Biological Information Infrastructure.