Review of ABC Film

The following is a letter from the National Chicken Council regarding the made-for-TV movie that ABC-TV presented on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 regarding the Avain Influenza.

Sauder Eggs is in full support of the National Chicken Council.

Dear Friend:

You may have heard about a made-for-TV movie that ABC-TV will present on Tuesday, May 9. The film is entitled “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America .” The film is a fictional portrayal of what could happen in the United States if a highly contagious, highly fatal form of influenza developed and spread in the human population.

In all due respect to ABC, this move is a sensationalized Hollywood production that is complete fiction and bears no resemblance to anything actually going on in the world today. Even the experts supposedly consulted by the movie's producers are expressing doubts about the film.

A disease that does actually exist among animals today is Asian avian influenza -- H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza. A limited number of human beings who have had very close contacts with live, infected birds have gotten this disease. This virus has never been detected in North America . According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this disease has not developed the ability to pass easily to humans or from human to human -- which is the scenario suggested by the movie.

There is a huge difference between the existing Asian avian influenza (“bird flu”) and the potential for a human, pandemic form of influenza. A human form has not emerged and no one knows if it ever will.

As Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, put it: “This is still primarily a disease among animals and not people and we simply can't say whether this virus will emerge to cause a pandemic in humans.” Some scientists suggest that the existing bird disease may simply run its course and never become a serious hazard to humans.

ABC-TV has agreed to run a disclaimer in the movie that will state that it is a work of fiction, and that the pandemic virus that is the subject of the movie is different from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza currently circulating in Asia and some other parts of the world.

Companies in the poultry industry are strongly committed to the goal of keeping Asian avian influenza out of our flocks and out of the food supply. Many measures are in place to achieve this goal. These include:

Monitoring of wild, migratory birds that may spread the virus;
Keeping chickens in enclosed buildings where they are protected from wild birds and other animals that may carry the virus;
Strict biosecurity on poultry farms;
Testing of chicken flocks for the presence of any type of avian influenza; and
USDA inspection of all chickens going to market

Our company will continue to be vigilant in protecting our flocks, our employees, and our customers from any problems with avian influenza. At this time, there is no reason for anyone to be concerned about their personal safety, and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way.

For more information regarding Pennsylvania pandemic preparedness, visit www.pandemicflu.state.pa.us