Giving science a seat at the table

Abstract

Avian influenza (AI) is a disease that has become a serious animal and human health risk throughout the years. An avian influenza outbreak can cause bird losses that can impact food security and the economy, which the US poultry industry has experienced during several highly pathogenic outbreaks. The Eurasian A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD) lineage of avian influenza viruses has been unusual in its global spread, number of species infected, and decades-long persistence. As the poultry industry has grown and changed, Gs/Gd threats have emerged that are more deadly and complex. There has been an increasing number of AI outbreaks, numbers of birds lost, and disruptions to the poultry industry forcing the industry to look for better ways to guard their flocks and organizations against AI. The poultry industry needs to be prepared for AI outbreaks and how these can impact all aspects of their operations. Although preparation is not usually a priority, training employees about AI during an outbreak is not practical due to their additional workload and stress. Employees need to be trained about and plans need to be developed for AI prior to an outbreak. This preparation requires the leaders of poultry organizations to know and understand how AI will impact their business. If the leaders know prior to an outbreak what AI is, how it spreads, impacts employee workload and mental health, financial impacts, and how to make decisions and communicate during an outbreak, their decision making will be more effective and this can help stop and prevent future AI outbreaks. To prepare organizations for the impacts of an AI outbreak and allow science a seat at the decision making table, a pilot course was created for top executives to take during low-risk periods to prepare their teams for AI. When creating the course, adult learning techniques were considered so the viewer could engage with and reflect on the material presented. It was important that this course included all sections of a poultry organization during the learning period since all aspects of poultry production and processing are impacted when an AI outbreak occurs. Having all departments present and engaged during the course not only helps with creating an organization’s preparation plan but helps everyone in the organization understand the mental and physical loads employees may experience during an AI outbreak. This course also includes training on how poultry employees may react during an AI outbreak and how team leaders can support their employee’s overall health. This course was piloted by two different poultry organizations in 2022. One organization was a mixed poultry business in one region of the US, and the other was a layer organization with farms across the United States. The teams that underwent training were given a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and provide feedback. Results from the survey showed that the course was beneficial in preparing teams for an AI outbreak. Attendees indicated that they felt prepared to communicate and create messaging for their teams regarding AI decisions and understood what their team’s concerns might be. The survey also indicated that the pilot group understood who among their team was responsible for making decisions organizationally and departmentally, and who was responsible for relaying that information to all employees. Piloting this course to the different companies showed that more information on biosecurity should be included, and that specific online format for how attendees would improve delivery. As of July of 2024 the two companies that completed the course have not been or have been minimally impacted by HPAI.