Don't Just Assume Wild Birds Spread Bird Flu
Featured ArticleMain Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 31 May 2006 - 9:00 PDT
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Scientists say we should not just assume that wild birds are spreading bird flu around the world. The part wild birds play in the spread of avian influenza, after careful analysis by scientists, is unclear. This is the opinion of several scientists meeting for a two-day conference in Rome.
The meeting is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE).
Although wild birds may be a useful indicator of the presence of bird flu in an area, how big their role is in spreading bird flu is unknown. Just because you find a dead swan on the coast does not necessarily mean bird flu is being brought in at that time by wild swans.
It is possible, say scientists, that migrating birds play some role in bird flu spread - their role could be small or big. Most experts agree that several factors influence the spread of bird flu.
Experts are urging more use of vaccinations of farmed poultry stocks. They say the poultry industry plays a major role in the spread of H5N1. Vaccinations would help enormously.
Dr Robert Webster, St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, says that there are good vaccines that could control the source of an outbreak. He criticizes governments around the world for not standardizing their vaccines for antigen content. He says this standardization can be done.
Dr. Webster says vaccines would be a great help for poorer countries which find it harder to mass cull their poultry stocks.
The scientists also urged agencies to concentrate more on Africa. If H5N1 becomes entrenched and widespread in Africa, it will stay there for several years. This would significantly raise the number of times other parts of the world could become re-infected.
For bird flu outbreaks to be controlled, detection and response has to be swift. Most of Asia and Europe have managed to detect and respond quickly. It is vital that Africa does the same.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
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Obviously wild bird cross-pollinate flu far and wide
posted by Brad Arnold on 1 Jun 2006 at 3:23 amThe FAO and the OIE (both UN organizations tasked with animal health) sponsored a conference that came to the conclusion that wild birds weren't the main culprit behind the sudden spread of HPAI.
I have had personal dealings with both organizations, and they are not receptive to blaming wild birds, because they know that would lead to calls to cull the main vector of this disease.
When migratory birds nested in Qinghai (China) last Autumn, they were infected by a strain of H5N1 of unusually high pathogenity. This was because of the E627K mutation on the PB2 segment.
The FAO and the OIE were fully aware that these infected birds were preparing to migrate South for the winter. Instead of calling for culls of those infected wild birds, they willfully and forcefully called for leaving them alone. The consequence is that this "Qinghai strain" has been spread far and wide in Africa, the MIddle East, Asia, and Europe.
Look at the pattern and speed of the spread of the "Qinghai strain," and you would have to be pretty dense not to come to the conclusion that wild birds were the main vector that is spreading it long distances.
It is a simple ethical question. What is more important: human health or wild animal rights? There is no more glaring a choice than culling infected wild birds, or tolerating a domestic pandemic.
Frankly, I wouldn't trust FAO or the OIE to make the correct choice. Nor would I count on convincing wild bird lovers that their darlings are to blame and need to be culled.
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