Is poultry quarantine and depopulation a public health or agricultural issue?
In generally, these are agricultural measures. Since the chance of people getting avian flu from a bird is very low, the main reason that backyard poultry flocks and/or poultry farms are quarantined is to protect the health of birds in the area. Avian flu viruses are very contagious among birds, and since H5N1 virus is very deadly to poultry, it is important to all poultry operations to minimize the chance that anyone could accidentally bring the virus onto an uninfected farm. Depopulation and quarantine, where movement of people and equipment to and from the premises is strictly limited, is an effective way to help stop a bird flu outbreak from spreading. Public Health would be involved in assessing and monitoring people who had had close contact with poultry on infected premises. Public Health is also involved in assuring that depopulated birds are disposed of in a safe manner and that infected premises are properly cleaned and disinfected.
