From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Description: Audio interview by GAO staff with Steve Morris, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Related GAO Work: GAO-17-360: Avian Influenza: USDA Has Taken Actions to Reduce Risks but Needs a Plan to Evaluate Its Efforts Released: May 2017 [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's May 2017. Avian influenza is an extremely infectious and potentially fatal disease for poultry. Two outbreaks in 2014 and 2016 led to the deaths of millions of poultry in the United States. While the health risk to humans is low, humans have been infected with these viruses, sometimes fatally. A team led by Steve Morris, a Director in our Natural Resources and Environment team, recently looked at how avian flu outbreaks have affected human and animal health, as well as the U.S. economy. Sarah Kaczmarek sat down with Steve to talk about what they found. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] We've seen some larger outbreaks of avian flu in recent years and even a couple of small outbreaks recently in Tennessee. I know this disease primarily impacts poultry, but do outbreaks also affect people's health? [ Steve Morris: ] Fortunately, these outbreaks haven't directly affected human health in the U.S. I would just point out though that there are many different types of avian influenza and some types are more likely to impact people than others. So really a big concern for human health is that a deadly strain could develop and, you know, move quickly and easily between birds and people and from person-to-person. This has happened before and it's resulted in global pandemics that have killed millions of people. So, it's something definitely to watch. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Given that concern, are there vaccines to protect people from avian flu? I'm guessing this isn't covered when I get a flu shot or take my kids to get a flu shot? [ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, exactly, Sarah. So, you can't really go to the doctor right now and get a vaccine that protects against the current strains of influenza that are affecting the poultry right now. So, that seasonal flu shot that you mentioned, it won't really prevent the infection from disease. But it's important to remember that, you know, the folks who did get sick or die in other countries had close contact with infected birds. So really the best way to reduce one's risk right now of infection is just to avoid any such exposure. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] In addition to the human impact that we've been talking about, what affects are there on animal health? Is this flu something that only affects birds and poultry? [ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, that's a great question, Sarah. You know, avian influenza really impacts the health of many different types of animals in different ways. So let me just give you an example. So, the disease infects wild birds such as ducks or geese but it generally doesn't kill them. But what it does do, it basically -- it is housed in those waterfowl, and those waterfowl can spread the disease to domestic poultry if they come into close contact, which they often do in the course of migration. And as I think I mentioned, such contact can have some devastating effects. Just to give you an example, Sarah, you know the recent outbreak in the US back in 2014 and '15 killed over 50 million chickens and turkeys. Now just another point in terms of the avian influenza and its impact, you know it can also affect other types of animals including pigs and cats and dogs, horses among others. And the really important issue here is that it's important to watch for the disease in these animals, especially pigs, because that disease can mutate and spread to people. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Are there certain symptoms when it comes to getting this? Or does this just look like any other kind of illness? [ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, that's a great question. You know, part of the challenge with this disease is that you can't always tell if the animals are infected. You know, in some cases the animals will get sick and die; in others, they won't. So it is a challenge in terms of identifying the disease. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Well, with that challenge, what kind of damage can an outbreak of avian flu do to our economy? [ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, well, you know an outbreak can really have some serious, significant impacts. You know, for example, the 2014 and '15 outbreak I mentioned cost the US economy it's estimated up to about $3 billion. And it cost the government probably another billion dollars just in terms of response and cleanup. And so, if you kind of project that to potential impacts on people, the cost could be even much more. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Well Steve, what can the government do to better respond then to outbreaks of avian flu? [ Steve Morris: ] Well, you know there are number of things that the government's doing in response to the avian influenza outbreak. Just to give you some examples, Sarah, the USDA identified many problems in concern as it looked back on the prior outbreaks. And it's taken a number of steps to address some of these problems and concerns. Just for an example, the agency is working with the poultry industry to protect flocks from infection. And they're taking some specific steps like providing guidance to states, producers to develop plans to effectively dispose of birds, for example. Health and Human Services is working with state and local partners and they're trying to monitor people for infection, including farmers and others who responded to the outbreaks. And lastly, the Department of Interior is also working with federal partners and state to monitor wild birds for the disease. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Let me ask you, Steve, what did your team recommend in this report? [ Steve Morris: ] We're recommending USDA basically evaluate the actions they've taken to determine whether or not they're actually solving the problems identified. [ Sarah Kaczmarek: ] Finally, what would you say is the bottom line of this report? [ Steve Morris: ] Well, you know, I think the bottom line here is that avian influenza is a serious disease that could have serious impact on humans and animals and the economy. And the government and industry really takes this disease seriously. They have taken a number of steps to address future outbreaks. And we think these are important steps, but we also think more can be done and specifically USDA needs to evaluate its tactics to make sure they're working. [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] To learn more, visit GAO.gov and be sure to tune in to the next episode of GAO's Watchdog Report for more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office.