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First public announcement. It seems to be taking them a while to
make the announcement on the APHIS website, which is what the agency
designated as the official means of making announcements. <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_hpai.shtml">http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_hpai.shtml</a><br>
<br>
The outbreak began on June 13 and was confirmed as H7N3 to the OEI
on 26 June. <br>
<br>
There are HPAI outbreaks virtually everywhere in the world at some
point in time. For the scientific community, this means that you can
anticipate needing to treat nearly all avian imports in the future.
APHIS has a process for making official determinations that a
country or region is free of a particular pathogen (indeed, more
than a dozen countries have been declared free of Exotic Newcastle
Disease) but I believe that the request must come from the country
in question.<br>
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<strong>Message 1</strong><br>
<strong>From:</strong> APHIS Veterinary Services
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:APHISVS@subscribers.usda.gov"><APHISVS@subscribers.usda.gov></a><br>
<strong>Date:</strong> 07/30/2012<br>
<strong>Subject: </strong>ALERT: USDA Restrictions on Avian
Products Imports from Mexico
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
was recently confirmed in Mexico. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font face="Calibri"
size="3"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">In response, the USDA has restrictions in
place for importing bird and poultry products from
Mexico. The restrictions require that avian products,
including bird trophies, be accompanied by a Veterinary
Services (VS) import permit. These products must be
processed to inactivate the HPAI virus prior to
importation. Consignment to a USDA-approved establishment
is not an option for products from regions with
HPAI. There is an exception for fully taxidermy finished
bird trophies (i.e., mounted) which will continue to have
unrestricted entry. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font face="Calibri"
size="3"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">Travelers from Mexico entering the United
States may contact the National Center for Imports and
Exports at 301-851-3300, press the number 5, and speak
with a staff import veterinary officer for more
information regarding these restrictions. Inquiries may
also be made via email to: </font></font><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:askNCIEProducts@aphis.usda.gov"><span
style="color: windowtext;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">askNCIEProducts@aphis.usda.gov</font></span></a><font
size="3"><font face="Calibri">. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font face="Calibri"
size="3"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">***</font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font face="Calibri"
size="3"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">Please share the following link with others
who may be interested in these updates. </font></font></span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/subscriber/topics?qsp=USDAAPHIS_1"><strong><span
style="color: #003399;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Click
here to subscribe to the VS Animal Health Stakeholder
Registry</font></span></strong></a><span><font size="3"><font
face="Calibri">. This link will also allow you to change
or cancel your subscriptions. </font></font></span></p>
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