"We must continue to prepare all levels of government to respond effectively if avian influenza ever made its way into Ohio, and this exercise will help us to coordinate federal, state and local agency response," said Taft. "Strong partnerships and a coordinated response plan will help key agencies to protect human health and ensure the continued viability of the state's agricultural and natural resources."
The discussion about avian influenza ("bird flu") will include how emergency responders would handle an incursion of avian influenza in commercial poultry flocks and birds in the wild and how the state would communicate with the public. Top officials from the following agencies will participate in the exercise: the Ohio Departments of Administrative Services, Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Health, Natural Resources and Public Safety and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, State Veterinarian and Ohio Poultry Association.
In February, Taft joined U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt in Columbus for the Ohio Pandemic Flu Preparedness Summit to address plans at the state and local levels to ensure that Ohio is prepared in the event of an outbreak. Ohio is receiving $3.2 million in federal funding for pandemic planning efforts. The Summit convened more than 500 health, emergency management, agriculture, business and community leaders representing all parts of Ohio.
Ohio's Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan, developed two years ago and subsequently revised, is an integrated planning and response approach led by the Ohio Department of Health, along with the Ohio Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Public Safety, as well as the State of Ohio Security Task Force and The Ohio State University. Preparations for and response to pandemic flu remains one of the highest priorities of the Taft Administration.
In the case of an outbreak in birds, the state would operate under the State Emergency Operations Plan, which provides for quick and effective containment of any disease outbreak. The Ohio Department of Agricultureis responsible for quarantining facilities and disposal of animals during any animal disease outbreak. Existing state law requires all livestock and poultry brought into Ohio to have a certificate of veterinary inspection to ensure the animals are free of disease.
"We have been monitoring for highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry for over 20 years," said Ohio Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey. "Consumers should know that proper handling and cooking of poultry will protect them against highly pathogenic avian influenza, as it does against other viruses and bacteria."
