Old World Aviaries
Statement on bird flu paranoia
People are becoming fearful of birds. Remember when the singing
of birds was soothing to the soul. With the current worldwide paranoia
about Avian Flu panic is replacing joy with fear. People are developing
an unreasonable and unfounded fear of birds-all birds. A few facts
need to be emphasized in order to try to help people understand what is a threat
and what is not.
1. The H5N1-pathogenic
avian flu virus has not been found in the United States. The poultry Industry
and the USDA are very vigilant to protect US poultry populations and keep our
poultry free of Pathogenic avian Influenza.
2. Pathogenic Avian Influenza
is a disease of domestic poultry - not all birds. Effective control must
focus on the poultry industry in affected countries. Stringent global monitoring
programs including immediate culling and correct disposal of infected poultry
flocks are necessary. Every effort must be made to limit the spread of
the virus
to wild waterfowl.
3. Avian Flu exists in
many strains and is endemic to wild waterfowl such as mallards, but nearly
all other varieties of birds have a low incidence of Avian Flu. The presence
of Avian Flu in wild waterfowl does not mean that the birds are diseased or
that they can spread a virulent form of the virus to poultry or people. The
birds that
commonly harbor these viruses have developed resistance over many millennia,
they rarely suffer illness from Avian Flu viruses. Avian migrations are
typically North to South, not from Asia or Europe to the Americas. Insignificant
migrations mostly of shorebirds occur from Russia across the Bering Strait
into Alaska but these birds are highly unlikely to come into contact with poultry
housed outdoors.
4. The pathogenic Avian
flu virus will not enter the US in legally imported birds. Since 1972 all birds
imported into the United States undergo mandatory quarantine by The US Department
of Agriculture and they are tested for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza virus
during quarantine. During that 30-year period, with the entry of many
millions of exotic birds, Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus has been found ONLY
ONCE in Pekin Robins from China and it was not H5N1. Pathogenic Avian
Influenza is an extremely rare disease in pet and exotic birds. Bird’s
owners should have NO FEAR of contracting pathogenic avian influenza from pet
birds. People who are potentially interested in purchasing birds bred in the
United States for pets should have no fear of contracting Avian Influenza.
5. In Asia, 120
reported cases and 61 fatalities have occurred in 3 years. In this region
it is common for millions of people to live in close contact with poultry,
with the birds often entering their homes. If a bird becomes ill the family
will often slaughter it, clean it and cook it, potentially exposing themselves
to the virus. Direct
heavy
exposure to an infected bird’s body fluids is necessary for transmission
to people. A favorite Asian dish is raw duck liver. Millions of domestic birds
in Asia have become infected and have been destroyed to control the spread
of the virus with only 61 human fatalities in 3 years. The case fatality
rate may be skewed by the fact that poor people in rural areas who are most
likely to be infected are not likely to seek medical care unless their illness
is grave.
6. Avian Flu viruses rarely,
if ever, jump straight to becoming Human Flu viruses. Typically, Avian Influenza
must undergo a series of mutations or a large genetic change to acquire the
ability of human-to-human transmission. The potential for genetic mutation
associated with exchange of genetic information between strains is higher when
an animal or human is simultaneously infected with two different strains of
influenza. Simultaneous infections of human and bird flu in a pig may be required
for the viruses to interchange their genetic information and become both highly
infectious to humans and highly pathogenic. This potential exists in Asia
where people often keep poultry and pigs around their home. This is the potential
that Public Health officials fear. However, these large changes in genetic
makeup are just as likely to result genetic changes that make the virus non-pathogenic.
7. Periodic outbreaks
of pathogenic Avian Influenza occur in poultry around the world, including
the United States. Since 1997, for example, more than 16 outbreaks of pathogenic
Avian Influenza have occurred in poultry within the United States. The virus
strains in each of these outbreaks were just as likely as H5N1 to become pathogenic
human influenza viruses, yet none of them made the jump from avian virus to
human virus. According to CDC records only 2 mild cases of flu have been reported
from people in contact with infected poultry during this time.
8. Influenza viruses do
not persist in the environment outside of a host for long periods of time.
Under ideal conditions at room temperatures, human flu viruses can remain infective
for about one week. Exposure to sunlight drastically reduces the length of
time flu viruses can remain infective.
9. As long as the H5N1
virus does not gain the ability to be transmitted from human to human, its
impact on human health will continue to be minimal. However, it is important
to eliminate the virus from affected poultry populations to protect both people
and birds. Culling of uninfected avian populations will not assist in the control
of Avian Influenza.
10. Because of governmental
and media paranoia, wild populations of migrating birds may be culled or disrupted
un-necessarily in misguided efforts to control avian influenza. These
actions could result in the needless deaths of millions of birds and could
endanger species.
11. If pathogenic-human
to human transmitted avian influenza does enter the US it will be by entry
of infected humans, not by infected birds. As in the 2003 outbreak of
SARS in Canada, an infected international traveler introduced the disease and
subsequent cases occurred in exposed health care workers. This outbreak
was brought
under control by diligent Public Health response and monitoring of travelers
for signs of illness (fever).
12. Media reports about Bird
Flu have created an unreasonable state of fear that can be detrimental to birds
and the relationship of people to birds. A rational response is necessary
to avoid further deterioration of public perception.
Americans should not be afraid of
Pet birds
Feeding wild birds in their backyards
Visiting zoos
Visiting parks where they may contact wild birds
Migrating birds
Going to pet stores
Taking their birds to a veterinarian
Attending bird shows
Eating poultry products
Transporting birds on airplanes
Legal importation of exotic birds
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