Dr. Emily Steele, a veterinarian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the featured speaker for the Dec. 4 Thursdays at the U presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Barron County.
Dr. Emily Steele
She will present “Bird Flu: Is it the Next Pandemic?” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Blue Hills Lecture Hall in Ritzinger Hall. The presentation also will be livestreamed at ricelaketv.com.
The bird flu is real, and of concern. The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu was first identified in 1996 in China. Since then, H5N1 and other strains of bird flu have spread worldwide, affecting both wild and domestic birds.
As of this year, bird flu outbreaks continue to occur in various parts of the world, with the H5N1 strain posing a significant concern. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks are currently present in both U.S. poultry flocks and dairy cattle herds. Many other mammals are susceptible to the disease as well. Steele will give a review of the disease, its current status in our country, the possible risk to humans and how to reduce chances of transmission in poultry, livestock and humans.
Steele grew up on a small family dairy farm in Hillsdale. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Hamline University and her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Steele then worked as an equine veterinarian in North Branch, Minnesota, before joining the USDA as a public health veterinarian.
In her 17-year career with the USDA, she has served as a public health veterinarian in both the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Steele currently works as an FSIS frontline supervisor.
The Thursdays at the U weekly series is free and open to the public thanks to support from the UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Foundation. Neither seating reservations nor parking permits are needed for in-person attendees.
Although in-person attendance is encouraged, most talks in the series are livestreamed. They also are archived and can be watched later on the Thursdays at the U webpage.
The next and final lecture of the fall series will be Dec. 11, with Greg Brick presenting “Minnesota Caves: History and Lore.”
For more information, contact Laura Holden at 715-788-6207 or holdenlk@uwec.edu.
