By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Live poultry and hatching eggs that may have been ordered from Hawaii for shipment to Guam before the importation ban was imposed on Monday will have to be either returned or destroyed upon arrival on island, local officials said.
"The Guam Department of Agriculture regrets any inconvenience caused to residents who may have placed orders for live poultry or hatching eggs from Hawaii prior to the recent ban on imports," the Guam Department of Agriculture said.
Due to recent reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases now detected in Hawaii, the Guam Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Division has expanded the poultry ban to include all live poultry imports and hatching eggs from Hawaii, effective immediately.
On Nov. 15, the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture announced the first detection of HPAI in a mixed species backyard poultry flock. This was the first confirmed detection of HPAI in Hawaii, and the virus strain detected matches the strain that has affected poultry and dairy cattle in the mainland U.S.
Acknowledging that the import may have disrupted previous orders, officials advised importers to choose one of the following options:
1. Reject the shipment when it arrives through USPS. The shipment will be returned to Hawai’i at no cost to the importer.
2. Destruction of the birds upon arrival in Guam, in compliance with USDA APHIS guidelines.
"DOAG sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience and investment loss this situation may cause but emphasizes that the health and safety of Guam’s residents, poultry, livestock, and wildlife are of the highest priority," officials said.
Guam's agriculture department said it has regularly consulted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Center for Disease Control regarding the potential impact of avian flu should it reach Guam.
Agency officials agreed that prevention was the only suitable course of action for the island, as widespread islandwide infection and poultry death are guaranteed.
Meat and eggs are free from threats of the highly pathogenic avian influenza —provided they are properly handled — and therefore not covered by Guam's ban on the entry of live poultry from Hawaii, Guam officials said.
Since January 2022, USDA APHIS has been responding to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Historically, avian influenza outbreaks last a few months and naturally subside as the migratory birds, which are natural reservoirs for the virus, complete their migration pattern.
In an unprecedented series of events, the outbreak has persisted for several years, decimating poultry populations across the mainland U.S.
Even more alarming, this strain of the avian influenza virus has been able to cause sustained infection in U.S. dairy cattle, which is the first event of this kind globally.
The USDA has issued a reminder that the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills bacteria and viruses.
While avian influenza is considered a zoonotic disease that has the capacity to infect humans, at this time the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the current HPAI detections do not present an immediate human health concern for the general public.
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