Poultry producers may implement biosecurity measures to  reduce the risk that diseases such as avian influenza will be transmitted  to their flocks. Avian Influenza Has Harmed Human Health, Animal Health, and the U.S. Economy

Avian influenza viruses have harmed global human and animal health  and the U.S. economy. Avian Influenza Rarely Infects Humans, but the Mortality Rate for Those Infected Has Been Relatively High

As of March 2017, two lineages of avian influenza—Asian H5N1, which  emerged in 1997, and a new strain of H7N9, which emerged in 2013— have together infected more than 2,100 humans and killed more than  900, primarily in Asia and Africa. For example, the World Health Organization has  expressed concern that the Asian lineage H5N1 and H7N9 viruses that  have sporadically infected humans in Asia, Northern Africa, and the  Middle East could evolve to become more easily transmissible to or  between humans and lead to serious disease or another pandemic. Outbreaks of Avian Influenza Have Killed Millions of Poultry Worldwide but Caused Few Fatalities in Other Species

Avian influenza outbreaks—both highly pathogenic and low pathogenic— have led to the deaths of hundreds of millions of domesticated poultry in  dozens of countries, either directly or through depopulation to prevent  spread of the disease. 2 for a map showing the 15  states and the approximate number of birds killed or depopulated as a  result of the outbreak that began in 2014.) Avian influenza is an extremely infectious and,  in some circumstances, fatal disease in  poultry, including chickens and turkeys. The effect of avian influenza on the health of other animal species varies. Infections in waterfowl and swine are of concern because they can  spread the virus to poultry and humans, according to the World  Organisation for Animal Health. Recent Outbreaks Have Cost the Federal Government and the U.S. Economy Billions of Dollars

Outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry in the United States in 2014 and  2016 cost the federal government about $930 million, according to USDA  documents, and the 2014 outbreak cost the economy from $1 billion to  $3.3 billion, according to two studies by USDA and a private firm. USDA Has Identified Lessons Learned from the 2014 and 2016 Outbreaks and Taken Numerous Corrective Actions

After the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2014 and  2016, USDA identified lessons learned related to its response activities  and has taken numerous corrective actions to address those lessons  learned. USDA Does Not Have Plans to Evaluate the Effectiveness of its Corrective Actions

USDA has taken steps to implement corrective actions, but it does not  have plans to evaluate the extent to which completed corrective actions  have effectively helped to resolve the problems the agency identified in its  responses to the recent outbreaks. We have previously found that  agencies may use evaluations to ascertain the success of corrective  actions, and that a well-developed plan for conducting evaluations can  help ensure that agencies obtain the information necessary to make  effective program and policy decisions. For example, these experts questioned whether a  sufficient number of federal employees and contracted responders have  been trained in using depopulation equipment to address a lesson  learned that there were not enough skilled personnel available for  depopulation during recent outbreaks. Federal Agencies Face Ongoing Challenges and Associated Issues in Their Efforts to Mitigate the Potential Harmful Effects of Avian Influenza

On the basis of stakeholders’ views and our analysis of federal efforts to  respond to outbreaks, we identified ongoing challenges and associated  issues that federal agencies face in mitigating the potential harmful  effects of avian influenza. Reliance on Voluntary Actions by a Wide Range of Poultry Producers to Prevent Flocks from Avian Influenza Infections Is a Challenge

Federal efforts to ensure routine biosecurity and prevent poultry flocks  from becoming infected with avian influenza face an ongoing challenge  because these efforts depend on voluntary actions by a wide range of  poultry producers. Instead, USDA  relies on producers to take voluntary action to prevent the introduction of  avian influenza and other diseases. Poultry Used to Produce Critical Human Vaccine Are Susceptible to Influenza Outbreaks

Protecting the chickens that lay the eggs needed to produce human  pandemic influenza vaccines is an issue for federal agencies because  these birds, like others, are susceptible to avian influenza. USDA has  marked as completed about 70 percent of these actions, but it does not  have plans for evaluating the extent to which its completed corrective  actions have effectively helped to resolve the problems the agency  identified in its responses to the 2014 and 2016 outbreaks. USDA agreed with our recommendation. GAO-15-793.
Why GAO Did This Study

Avian influenza is an extremely infectious and potentially fatal disease in poultry. In 2014 and 2016, two outbreaks of avian influenza led to the deaths of millions of poultry in 15 states and prompted emergency spending to control the disease. While the health risk to humans is low, humans have been infected with these viruses, sometimes fatally. A spike in fatal human infections in Asia began in late 2016.
GAO was asked to review several issues related to avian influenza. This report examines (1) how outbreaks of avian influenza have affected human health, animal health, and the U.S. economy, (2) the extent to which USDA has taken actions to address any lessons learned from its responses to the outbreaks in 2014 and 2016, and how it plans to evaluate the actions' effectiveness, and (3) ongoing challenges and associated issues, if any, federal agencies face in their efforts to mitigate the potential harmful effects of avian influenza. GAO reviewed global and domestic data on the effects of avian influenza and USDA reports and corrective action data associated with its responses to the recent outbreaks, and interviewed federal officials and stakeholders from state agencies and the poultry industry.

What GAO Found

When avian influenza outbreaks occur, they can have significant effects on human and animal health and the U.S. economy. With regard to human health, avian influenza rarely affects humans, but the World Health Organization estimates that two particular types of the virus have caused more than 2,100 human infections and more than 800 deaths since 1997, primarily in Asia and the Middle East. With regard to animal health, avian influenza outbreaks can lead to large numbers of poultry deaths as a result of efforts to control and prevent the spread of the disease. For example, from December 2014 to June 2015, more than 50 million birds were destroyed in the largest outbreak in U.S. history. The effect of avian influenza on the health of other animal species varies. Swine are susceptible to both avian and human influenza viruses that, if mixed, could create a new virus to which humans are vulnerable. An outbreak can also have significant economic consequences; for example, the economic impacts of the 2014 outbreak in the United States have been estimated to range from $1.0 to $3.3 billion.
USDA identified 15 areas with lessons learned from its responses to the 2014 and 2016 outbreaks of avian influenza and 308 associated corrective actions. For example, one lesson learned in the area of depopulation (mass culling of flocks) is that there were not enough skilled personnel available for depopulating infected poultry, leading to delays and possibly increasing the spread of disease. USDA has identified as completed about 70 percent of the 308 corrective actions to address all of the lessons learned. However, the agency has not evaluated the extent to which completed corrective actions—such as encouraging states to form depopulation teams—have helped resolve the problems identified, and it does not have plans for doing so. GAO has previously found that agencies may use evaluations to ascertain the success of corrective actions, and that a well-developed plan for conducting evaluations can help ensure that agencies obtain the information necessary to make effective program and policy decisions. Such a plan would help USDA ascertain the effectiveness of the actions it took to resolve problems identified during recent outbreaks.
On the basis of GAO's analysis of federal efforts to respond to outbreaks and of stakeholders' views, GAO identified ongoing challenges and associated issues that federal agencies face in mitigating the potential harmful effects of avian influenza. For example:
One challenge is that federal efforts to protect poultry from avian influenza rely on voluntary actions by a wide range of poultry producers to take routine preventative measures—known as biosecurity— to protect their flocks from disease. USDA has two major initiatives under way to encourage improvements to biosecurity.
An associated issue that federal agencies face is that the chickens used to produce the eggs needed to manufacture critical human influenza vaccine are susceptible to influenza outbreaks. The Department of Health and Human Services is supporting the development of new vaccine manufacturing technologies to reduce reliance on eggs.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that USDA develop a plan for evaluating the effectiveness of the corrective actions it has taken. USDA agreed with GAO's recommendation.