Bird Flu Spreading as Scientists Look Everywhere for Clues

[Purveyor]

By Maggie Fox

Could it be blowing from farm to farm in the dirt? Could determined starlings and pigeons be carrying it into poultry houses on their feet? Is it spreading in feed, or being carried on truck tires?

Federal agriculture officials are looking everywhere they can think of for H5N2 bird flu, which has spread to poultry flocks in 14 states and killed or forced the slaughter of more than 39 million birds.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has never spread like this before in the United States, and it's flummoxed the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers and scientists alike.

"The one question that we cannot answer is how is it getting from the migratory birds into these flocks," said Dr. Jarra Jagne of Cornell University, who's studied avian influenza outbreaks around the world.

"We are waiting for a good, warm summer day."

Despite intense efforts to control it, it's continued to spread and the best hope now is for some hot weather to give everyone a break, says Dr. Jack Shere, associate deputy administrator at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

more...

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/blowing-wind-scientists-looking-everywhere-bird-flu-n363441

[bemildred]

1. Nature hates monocultures. nt

[villager]

3. Exactly. It's inevitable that something disastrous will inevitably hit our livestock "industries."

We'll be in even worse shape when it starts to happen to grain monocultures...

[Wellstone ruled]

2. According to the U of Iowa and the U of Minnesota,

as of last week Wednesday,the theory is it is being spread both airborne,and via migratory birds. With the cold and wet weather that is hitting the Upper Midwest,it is going to be some time before this runs it's course.

[Warpy]

4. Right, and workers are likely tracking it into the chicken houses

from outdoors. A lot of people are going to go bankrupt over this one and chicken is going to be back to a luxury meat, short term.

It's not just monoculture, it's the massive overcrowding that is doing this. If this mutates and spreads to pigs, a whole lot of people in this country are going to be desperate enough to learn how to cook tofu.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. You mentioned Pigs,

chickens are intermediate hosts for this type of virus. As well as many species of wild life. Seems no one disinfects their shoes or boots when leaving or before entering a facility.