BANGOR (AP) – Maine officials say avian flu could spread to Maine if there is a widespread outbreak of the virus, and that they’ve been working to educate health care providers and upgrade Maine’s biological testing facilities as a defense.

Avian flu has “been on our radar” since 1997, said Dr. Dora Mills, director of Maine’s Bureau of Health.

The availability of federal bioterrorism funds, provided to states after the terrorist attacks of 2001, has allowed Maine officials to establish a network that would be helpful in case of an avian flu outbreak, she said.

The funds have gone to upgrade communication systems, train physicians and establish a state laboratory capable of identifying a broad spectrum of disease-causing organisms.

It’s ironic, Mills said, that the specter of biological warfare using smallpox or anthrax, which she considers unlikely, should enable preparation for a flu pandemic, which she considers inevitable.

“With influenza, it’s not a question of if’ – it’s a question of when,”‘ she said.

Fewer than 200 human cases of avian flu have been confirmed worldwide since 1997, when the virus that causes the flu was first reported to have crossed from birds to humans.

Although the disease has spread far from its presumed origin in China and Southeast Asia to Europe and North America, it had been thought that it could be passed to humans only though direct contact with affected birds.

But earlier this month, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating several cases where the virus was passed form human to human in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

If it turns out the disease can be passed among humans, it would greatly increase the likelihood of widespread regional outbreaks among human populations. And with global travel as common as it is nowadays, it could kick off a devastating influenza pandemic that public health officials have warned of for close to a decade.

Preparations for an outbreak of avian flu extend to Maine’s agricultural community.

Prevention and early detection of the virus could safeguard millions of dollars of poultry stocks as well as avert transmission to humans who come in contact with infected birds, said recently hired poultry expert Bill Morrison of the state’s Department of Agriculture.

Morrison said that one of his chief responsibilities is to raise awareness of bird flu among poultry growers throughout the state.

Morrison is working with large-scale operations, such as the DeCoster Egg Farm in Turner where some 20 million birds make an impressive target for avian flu.

He’s also working with County Extension officers throughout the state to identify smaller operations and backyard flocks, as well as monitoring rural livestock auctions and other markets where chickens, turkeys, geese and other poultry are bought and sold.

Morrison said his goal is to have all Maine poultry growers, large and small, entered into a computerized database that pinpoints their location. In the event of an outbreak, this system would make it relatively easy to quarantine the affected flock and any other flock within 2 miles.

Nearby birds would be observed for the telltale signs of avian flu, which include coughing, sneezing, gasping and other respiratory symptoms. The virus can be confirmed with a throat swab and a laboratory test.

If avian flu is found in Maine poultry, the affected flock most likely would be euthanized by gassing, then burned on the site, Morrison said. In the summer of 2002, millions of birds in Virginia were destroyed when the disease spread through large-scale poultry operations in that state, he said.

Some affected birds were processed and sent to market for human consumption, he said, but given the current level of concern, it is unlikely that infected birds would be processed for market now.

Dr. Robert Gholson, a veterinarian who works for the state Bureau of Health, is working to bridge the gap between agricultural interests and human health.

If there were to be an outbreak of avian flu in Maine poultry stocks, Gholson would be involved in decisions about safely and humanely handling affected birds while protecting Maine residents.

Gholson said that eating the cooked meat of influenza-infected poultry cannot cause illness in humans, because the virus is destroyed by heat. But people who process and pack the birds, as well as consumers who handle the meat or byproducts before cooking, are at risk of contracting the virus, he said.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-02-26-05 1552EST