Bird flu spread by migrating birds..? In February???

[mirrera]

My husband tonight brought this up. He heard one of the news reports on NPR say that bird flu has been found in Hungary. His question is what bird would migrate from Asia to Hungary in February? I joked that a CIA private jet bird might be busy, but seriously anyone know about winter migration?



http://NoBullshiRt.com

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Did they just begin testing for it? Or have they been testing since last

year? If this has been around for more than a year, then it's already in the U.S. because we keep importing pillow stuffing from Asia. And, I'm sure, other chicken parts.

[linazelle]

2. Global warming. In January the ducks that usually leave the midwest

and fly south in the late fall returned. It was very warm. I was amazed because they were looking for food, but the grass was dried and brown of course. Then it got really frigid within a few days and the pond they were swimming in froze over. I feared that they would not make it back south. The weather is very strange.

[markam]

3. Bird flu has been in all the European Countries

for months. They are just now fessing up.

[wake.up.america]

4. It has been very confusing, at least I am confused about the bird flue....

A lot factors are involved: government officials, the drug industry, the press, testing organizations, the poultry industry, etc.

They all have a stake in this. So, who knows what is going on?

I do know that one should cook all poultry to at least 70 centigrade.

[Lorien]

5. Well, the robins are already passing through Florida on their way

back to the Midwest right now. If the birds live in more northern climates then this shouldn't be too surprising.

[Marlie]

6. I'm from the Midwest, Illinois

I hate to admit this but we haven't fed the birds this winter. We always took such
joy in watching the cardinals, blue jays, snow birds, sparrows and doves hanging
around and feeding. I'm so ashamed but I actually feared handling the feeders
when filling them every day - stupid right, this fear thing actually has reached
our household. I feel dreadful we're not helping the birds when it's
freezing out there. We have three dogs and I also feared them picking up, perhaps,
a sick bird, so for the first time in twenty years, we've neglected and actually
hoped these beautiful creatures would stay away.

My only consolation is that it has been a fairly mild winter thus far. This bird
thing really sucks.

[AlienGirl]

7. Don't be afraid of the wild birds!

Unless you are living with poultry who are exposed to wild waterfowl, you aren't at risk. The H5N1 wild vector is waterfowl, and in all bird-to-human transmissions the humans were exposed by poultry who had exposure to wild water birds. Also, those exposures were related to slaughtering poultry, eating poultry, or handling dead poultry. So if you live where wild waterfowl have tested positive for H5N1, and your chickens live in your house, you may be at risk. Not from migrating passerines in the Western hemisphere.

The real danger is that if the virus mutates to be spread easily human-to-human, *then* it could become dangerous to those of us outside the current risk population--but we'll be catching it from humans, not birds.

The best way to know your actual risk with any possible zoonosis like this is ask your local wildlife rehab centers. Wildlife rehabbers will know what risks exist in your area, and they are ultra-cautious about these things. So far this winter I've done a couple of ill-crow rescues (one was actually sick, the other was near death from old age) and no one is worried about H5N1 in North American migratory passerines. (Parasites are a bigger issue, but not contagious to humans; and West Nile remains a bit of a concern.)

It's safe to put up your bird feeders. I promise. :-)

Tucker

[Marlie]

8. Thanks Tucker

I can't tell you how horrible I've felt. We have a garage full of bird food, as
I always stock up in September. I think my biggest fear was the dogs. Over the
years I can't tell you the number of birds (especially) in winter, my dogs have
brought home for me, usually alive, thus the flurry to save the bird. One
especially beautiful female cardinal crashed into the window. Well, we made her
better and she never forgot us - once or twice a day, she would land on the deck
right next to the french door and look in at us.

I'll be out in the morning and make things right. Just hope all the birds haven't
given up on us. Again thanks so much.

[AlienGirl]

9. Do you know your local rehabber's number?

They can help with the tougher "cases" the doggies bring in! Here's a link, in case you don't already have it: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA.htm#il

:hi: from a fellow bird enthusiast!

Tucker

[XemaSab]

10. Every month of the year, there are birds migrating

Right now in Northern California the waterfowl are beginning to move into the area on their way north and the sparrows are beginning to leave.

I'm not familiar with the birds of Eurasia, but I'm sure there are birds moving around in the area.

[AlienGirl]

11. Here in Washington, the robins are back!

And Xen saw a ruby-throated hummingbird a couple of days ago--I don't know how that poor guy's eating; someone must have feeders up!

Meanwhile our crows are still in huge flocks, where they're deciding the important business of the year ahead, and the juvenile seagull I had in my bathtub for a couple of days has figured out how to scam the Duck Mafia's food supply. Also, two Canada Geese were on the pond today, though they don't usually stay long.

Tucker

[Dave Reynolds]

12. I have nothing to back this with right now,

but I believe the spread is mostly accelerated by the commercial transport of fowl.

Migratory birds are getting too much of the blame, IMO.

[mirrera]

13. Thanks everyone!! n/t

[Marlie]

14. I'd bet a bunch

If Cheney read this post, about caring for birds, he would get quite a belly
laugh out of it.