Section 4. Recovery
Release a Quarantine
By the end of this section, you should know the requirements for returning to a disease free state and recovering from financial losses.
Continuous monitoring and testing for avian influenza are required before an area can be released from quarantine.3
- Once decontamination is complete, the infected premises must have a downtime of 42 days or until sampling shows negative results for AI virus.
- Downtime is a period of time immediately after a premises has been cleaned and disinfected in which poultry areas are left empty and unused so they can dry completely.
- Downtime is absolutely essential because even after a thorough cleaning and disinfection effort, some viral particles are likely to remain. Dry surfaces create a less favorable environment for viral survival and growth, thus forcing the pathogens to decline to a point where susceptible animals have a slim to no chance of infection.
- Release of infected premises from quarantine requires that all surrounding areas are also eligible for quarantine release.
- Credit for photo on right: Incessant Flux