Publication

This paper discusses policy implications of a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza for the US agricultural sector. The virus spread throughout Asia in the autumn of 2003, infecting mostly poultry but also a limited number of humans. The virus later spread into parts of Europe. Controlling avian flu in poultry is seen as the best way to prevent a human pandemic from developing. The author suggests that this can be done by reducing the number of animal hosts in which the virus may evolve. The economic effects of any avian influenza outbreak can also be significant, especially given mountinginternational trade restrictions.