November
2005
compiled by Bill Mueller, Conservation Chair, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology
Issues Committee Chair, Wisconsin Bird Conservation InitiativeThe quotes below are from the National Audubon
Society’s webpage
devoted to avian flu. More can be found at:
o
“While
there is no evidence of wild birds being able to transmit H5N1 directly
to
people, laboratory studies indicate that domestic ducks, as well as
mallards
and perhaps other wild species, may be able to carry and transmit the
virus to
other birds without showing signs of illness.”
o
“Leading
experts including the World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations, and World Organization for Animal
Health
all emphasize that culling wild bird populations is highly unlikely to
stop the
spread of the disease, and would only divert resources away from more
important
disease control measures.”
What You Can Do to protect yourself:
o
“While the possibility of
contracting the H5N1
virus from wild birds is very unlikely, people who have close personal
contact
with wild birds should take measures to protect themselves by
practicing animal
handling and sanitary practices recommended by the USGS National
Wildlife
Health Center Wildlife Health Bulletin #05-03 (http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/WHB/WHB_05_03.html).
o
People who feed birds are not at
high risk of
contracting avian influenza from birds in their yards or at their
feeders. However, since birds can transmit other diseases to
humans (e.g.
salmonellosis), people who feed birds
should
routinely clean their feeders and bird baths as recommended by Audubon (http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/SafeFeeding.html)
and the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/whats_new/fact_sheet/fact_birdfeeder.html).
People who come into contact with wild bird excreta should thoroughly
clean up
with soap and water.”
************************************************************************
Additional information pertinent to this disease
is
available from the following sources:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, at:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/
provides the best and
most current
information on Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the
Another excellent source of information is the
World Health
Organization website: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/
Their Avian Influenza Fact Sheet is available at
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
Bird Life International
http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/avian_flu/index.html