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The purpose of this symposium is to provide members and guests of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) with an overview of current research on avian influenza and to provide them with the knowledge and resources they may need in the event of an influenza pandemic. PSA is a professional organization consisting of approximately 3500 educators, scientists, extension specialists, administrators and producers who are committed to advancing the poultry industry. The members represent University, Government, and Industry personnel that will need to respond to an avian influenza pandemic should one occur. The mitigation of social and economic impact during a pandemic will require an educated and prepared community, particularly of those individuals whose livelihood involves poultry. Poultry Science members are among the leading educational resources for the poultry industry in the United States. The purpose of this proposal is to provide travel support for speakers who are not PSA members. This symposium will be presented the day prior to the Centennial Poultry Science Meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada on July 20, 2008. The Symposium Chairman is Dr. Daniel Perez, University of Maryland who coordinates avian influenza research in the United States as Director of the USDA-NRI AICAP grant "Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in the U.S." This proposal specifically addresses FY2008 Program Priority 2.b.iii, foreign or emerging high consequence, economically relevant diseases, avian influenza. The spread of the H5N1 strain to the United States would devastate the poultry industry.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The purpose of this symposium is to provide members and guests of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) with an overview of current research on avian influenza and to provide them with the knowledge and resources they may need in the event of an influenza pandemic. PSA is a professional organization consisting of approximately 3500 educators, scientists, extension specialists, administrators and producers who are committed to advancing the poultry industry. The members represent University, Government, and Industry personnel that will need to respond to an avian influenza pandemic should one occur. The mitigation of social and economic impact during a pandemic will require an educated and prepared community, particularly of those individuals whose livelihood involves poultry. Poultry Science members are among the leading educational resources for the poultry industry in the United States. This request is for a conference grant of $10,000 toward travel expenses of non-PSA members. PSA will contribute the costs related to the meeting room and equipment, meeting registration and publication costs for all speakers, and an additional $10.00 for each person who registers for the General Meeting. The remaining expenses will be solicited from industry donations.
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APPROACH: The topics selected for the symposium are organized into sessions defined by the title: vectors, vaccines, public health, and marketability. The following speakers have all committed to speak at the Symposium. Dr. Daniel Perez will provide an overview of the U.S. avian influenza research and education network organized by the AICAP project that he leads. Keynote Speaker, Ilaria Capua, Director of the OIE-FAO Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Italy, will provide a global overview of avian inflluenza infection in animals and strategies for its containment. The spread of the H5N1 strain to the United States would devastate the poultry industry. However, the highly pathogenic strains already circulating in the United States and Canada also result in great economic loss not only to the disease, but to containment measures and trade restrictions. This symposium will provide new ideas that are being used to control AI, such as the development of vaccine strategies that allow differentiation of vaccine and field virus, and the deployment of regional containment measures to increase biosecurity, to the community of poultry scientists, educators, and producers that can most benefit from their implementation.