How would Avian Flu H5N1 enter the United States?
The most likely route of entry for avian flu into the U.S. is through wild birds traveling on their seasonal migratory pathways or flyways, and the most likely path would be through Alaska. In this region the East-Asian Flyway connects with at least one of the North American flyways used by migratory birds traveling south. As with previous outbreaks of avian flu in the U.S., domestic poultry would be infected by contact with wild birds. The diagnosis of avian flu would activate disease control plans by federal and state veterinary authorities, and by the commercial poultry industry, which has contingency plans for dealing with such an outbreak. The virus could also enter the U.S. in birds or poultry products smuggled into the U.S. If the H5N1 flu pandemic develops in humans, then infected humans may bring the virus into the country. The U.S. Geological Survey screens wild birds for the presence of H5N1 with particular concentration on the Alaskan flyway, Atlantic flyway and the Pacific
