Philadelphia CBP Conducts First Avian Flu Response Exercise

(Wednesday, February 25, 2009) contacts for this news release Philadelphia - Customs and Border Protection Port of Philadelphia conducted its first Avian Influenza response exercise at Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday to evaluate its procedures to secure the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza-H5N1 pandemic in the bustling international passenger operations environment. As many as 30 officials from CBP, Philadelphia International Airport, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Penn. Department of Agriculture, Philadelphia Fire Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted a simulated response to two airline passengers who exhibited physical distress en route to Philadelphia from Hong Kong. As part of the exercise, CBP officers discovered stuffed animals representing one live and one dead bird in one of the passenger’s carryon bag. A CBP agriculture specialist participates in a response exercise dealing with the Avian Flu. “CBP is a professional border security agency responsible for detecting, containing and mitigating all threats at our nation’s borders and this exercise is another example of our responsible commitment to protecting America and our citizens here in the Delaware Valley,” said Allan Martocci, CBP port director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “As federal leaders in agriculture inspection and protection, we take plant and animal diseases very seriously, and avian influenza is a dangerously contagious disease that has been known to inflict humans.” CBP processed 1.7 million international passenger and crew arrivals at Philadelphia International Airport during fiscal year 2008. Though there have been no avian flu reports in the United States, outbreaks of avian flu have been reported in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, prime source nations for many of PHL’s international arrivals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highly pathogenic avian influenza A-virus, also called H5N1, has caused serious disease and death in domesticated poultry and wild birds on multiple continents. Humans rarely get sick with H5N1 viruses, but since 2003, more than 400 people in outbreak nations have become ill, and of those reported cases, more than 60 percent of these people died. For this initial avian flu exercise, CBP officials were focused on how officers responded during initial engagements with travelers exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Most initial responses to a traveler in obvious physical distress require CBP officers to immediately contact medical professionals. CDC staff is co-located in the international arrivals terminal and assists with ill traveler calls. The Philadelphia Fire Department also has an emergency medical services staff at PHL. A second measurement is how well CBP agriculture specialists understood proper quarantine protective measures for the traveler’s birds. These birds would typically be shipped to an agency that can examine them for any presence of Avian Influenza. CDC officials said the exercise provided valuable information for the future. “This event provided a great opportunity to learn and improve both our plans and the way we work with our partners at the Philadelphia International Airport,” said Dr. Julie Sinclair, Quarantine Veterinary Medical Officer at the CDC’s Quarantine Station - Philadelphia. “By consistently preparing and exercising plans, we continue to build and enhance a strong foundation that helps ensure we’ll be ready to protect the public’s health if a pandemic threatens the United States or during any emergency.” The CBP Philadelphia Port Director expressed his thoughts on this initial bird flu exercise. “I would grade this exercise as a success in that we were able to measure our individual and collective preparedness, and discuss areas to mature our existing CBP response plans,” said Martocci. “Interagency responsibility and cooperation was a tremendously successfully revelation to us.” For more information on Avian Influenza, please visit CDC’s Web site. ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release Steve Sapp CBP Public Affairs Phone: (215) 594-4117