Tennessee Department of Agriculture

A Coordinated Approach

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is an active participant in a state-federal working group to help plan and monitor for bird flu and to implement protective actions in the event that the H5N1 virus or any other bird flu virus is detected.

Major partners include the Tennessee Department of Health, which is coordinating planning and preparation for human health protection with county health departments and health professionals; the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency; and at the federal level, the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

Representatives from these agencies are working together to coordinate surveillance and monitoring activities in wild and domestic birds, laboratory testing and analysis services, data collection and information sharing and communications. Together these partners form a network designed to safeguard human and animal health in Tennessee and to serve a source of accurate information about the risks associated with the H5N1 virus.