Bird Flu Pressure

[GM090158]

Public pressure on this issue has already started! On Saturday a local Falconry Centre took a few birds into a shopping centre for publicity (questionable actions but there you go). After a very short time they were asked to leave by the management as a number of the public expressed concerns over the issue of the birds carrying the bird flu virus, this is before there are any cases reported in this country other than in quarentine.
Who knows what is going to happen if we actually have a case and it gets publicised!!:(

[HunterPaul]

probably the same people who complain about us going out shooting...in a couple of vweeks theyll be sitting at the window in an asbestos suit with an air rifle trained on the bird table.....

[Tr1gger]

Yeah this whole situation is going 2 get pretty crazy and i think thier will be hard times ahead.

[Isaac]

Okay, maybe I'm just being too optomistic about this whole thing but as far as I've read this horrible bird flu has only killed like 60 people in the last 3 years right? With 6,000,000,000 people in the world that makes your chances of actually contracting the bird flu are like 1 in 600,000,000. Your chances of winning a lottery are higher! The "experts" are saying that it could mutate into something that can be passed from human to human but if it hasn't in the last 3 years why would it start now? People are saying that millions are going to die etc etc etc, but they said the same thing about SARS and that never developed so I'm a bit skeptical. Prevention and caution is good but I think people are over reacting! Any one agree?

[Minty]

Okay, maybe I'm just being too optomistic about this whole thing but as far as I've read this horrible bird flu has only killed like 60 people in the last 3 years right? With 6,000,000,000 people in the world that makes your chances of actually contracting the bird flu are like 1 in 600,000,000. Your chances of winning a lottery are higher! The "experts" are saying that it could mutate into something that can be passed from human to human but if it hasn't in the last 3 years why would it start now? People are saying that millions are going to die etc etc etc, but they said the same thing about SARS and that never developed so I'm a bit skeptical. Prevention and caution is good but I think people are over reacting! Any one agree?

To a degree yes i do i think that the western world does not no that this has been around a long time in the far east and one moment i heard on the news that 30,000 people die each winter with flu in this country but this could make it 50,000 and then i here from another channel that it could be as bad as the plague 400 years ago.
Its the old media hype ****. We are predicted a very cold winter but then we where predicted a very hot summer these where due to climate situations in our history which fits a pattern but i think they fail to realise global warming has thrown all that history and patterns out the window.
I will feed my birds on the feeder this winter as atleast it gives them a chance sparrowhawks or not.
What is so stupid is that these idiots who are anti everything and would rather have Anarchy than a democratic society until they grow up will jump on the bandwagon so to speak and try to get joe public on their side.
IF it does have just one person die of it falconry, eating any poultry, even your poor song birds in winter will suffer by this and many birds will be wiped out not because of bird flu but because of us but then tell me something new!

[JFSeaman]

The media is bored.

The wars are becomming stale news.

They need something to sell TV time and Newspapers to justify their lame excuse for informing the public.

We are the latest victim and I wouldn't be supprised if the anti's use this as an excuse for any action. Watch youselfs out there. Remember what they did to the people wearing fur and sometimes fake fur.

[Allan]

Yeah...I couldnt agree more.When we were out Hawking in the woods on Saturday morning a couple out with their kids and dog couldnt have rushed past us any quicker if they broke into a sprint when they saw we had Hawks.
The press is going to do none of us any favours.I,m going to be as discreet as posibble until this whole thing runs out of steam.
On a final note.......When we were leaving the woods,a lady walked passed walking her dog and when she heard the Ferret box scratching........She asked "What have you got in there..a Bat?"
Dont you just love em.............

[Nero]

I agree with you American falconer, I have also been looking into this and it is only 60 people that have died from this and that is only because they live with the birds 24/7. Most things that a bird contract a human can contract and if you live with the bird then you stand a bigger risk, ( and im sure that no-one sleeps with their birds. Surely if this was as big as they say then they woul;d be moer concerned with people with snakes as these are the closest relatives to birds, but i havent heard of anything and i breed them.
I think this is just another scare by the government and may innocent animals will come to their deaths for no reason. The best thing is to just wait and see what happens.
If anyone has someone come to their door to say thatthey have to have their bird destroyed then let other people know so they can take evasive action. Im sure that if this happens and you help other people out they will be more than willing to help you out in getting a new bird when everything is over, i know i would.

[Bengal Owl]

Commonly Asked Questions:

Is Avian Influenza H5N1 going to come to mainland UK:

Our opinion is that it is highly likely.

What could we do to prevent it coming in:

It is most likely to come in with migrating waterfowl and as such we cannot prevent it coming in.

Are all birds susceptible:

Yes all birds are considered susceptible.

Is my pet bird which lives in the house at risk:

- No. The greatest risk posed to your bird would be from yourself, if you visited other birds which were infected and then went home to your own bird – so keep away from all other birds.

How can I best protect my pet / captive birds:

Keep all captive birds inside and prevent any contact between wild birds and your birds.

Does this mean that falconry birds should not be taken out and flown at quarry:

Yes in particular waterfowl.

Can falconry display birds still be free flown:

Yes as long as no wild birds are in the immediate vicinity.

I have birds in outside aviaries what can I do to minimise the risk:

Covering over the roofs of aviaries will help. However it would be good to start contingency planning to re-house the birds inside should that become necessary.

Is there a vaccine available to protect my own birds:

There is no specific vaccine available which protects against H5N1.

I keep poultry in an outside run, are they at risk:

If there is noting to attract ducks and geese to the immediate area, the risk is currently slight. However it would be good to start contingency planning to re-house the birds inside should that become necessary.

As a Council Operative Responsible for a Municipal Park containing a lake on which waterfowl live, what should we do:

culling of birds would be ineffective as further wild birds would simply come in. Currently the advise is careful vigilance. If infection enters the UK, our advice would be to fence off the lake, so that the public cannot come into contact with waterfowl.

I run a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation unit, what action should I take:

Current advice would be not to take in any sick looking wildfowl. Any incoming birds should be kept in strict quarantine for at least 2 weeks. All staff should receive flu vaccines and wear masks, gloves and overalls at all times when handling birds. If and when the virus enters the UK, no one should take into care anywhere any sick or injured wildlife.

I run a Farm Park – should I stop visitors coming:

There is currently no reason to do his, although it would be prudent to discourage ‘outside bird’ human contact.

As a bird keeper am I at risk:

Any person keeping birds outside or working with outside / wild birds is potentially at risk, if the virus arrives.

How can I minimise the risk to myself:

If you are working with birds outside. Be vigilant for any signs of sick birds. Should this arise you should wear a protective face mask, disposable gloves and overalls before you handle any such bird.

What are the human signs like:

Generally these are flu like symptoms (e.g. fever cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis).

Advise Provided

We cannot prevent or control in flying migratory birds, so our plans and action should be aimed at early detection and preventing or minimising spread of infection once it has arrived.

Vigilance: all members of the public are advised to be vigilant for any wild or captive bird, kept outside or inside if they have any potential contact with wild birds, which might appear in any way to be ill, collapsed or lethargic. Any such situation should be reported to the local DEFRA office. In the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire area, this would be the Gloucester Office on 01452627400.

Avoidance:- any bird keeper with birds which are currently outside would be well advised to keep their birds under cover. In particular, NO CAPTIVE BIRDS SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO LIVE / GRAZE / DRINK near any water source such as a pond, lake or wetland, which might be frequented by wild waterfowl.

ALL CONTACT BETWEEN CAPTIVE BIRDS AND ALL WILD BIRDS SHOULD BE PREVENTED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

THERE SHOULD BE A MORATORIUM (i.e. prevention) ON ALL GATHERINGS OF CAPTIVE BIRDS, e.g. bird shows, bird auctions, falconry meetings, for the remainder of 2005.

Any infected birds, plus all others within a ‘contiguous area’ would be culled with IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

Reduce contact between potentially infected birds and humans. Vaccinate as many poultry as possible with an effective vaccine should one become recommended (this is not straight forward as the vaccine strain is changing).

UK tourists visiting infected areas of the world should avoid contact with poultry (including markets) and uncooked poultry products.

Disease in Humans.

No UK residents have as yet been infected with the latest H5N1 strain. Mortality to this strain varies between 30-60%, so the consequences of infection must be taken seriously. Symptoms are similar to those experienced with ‘human flu’. Human flu vaccine will not give protection against ‘bird flu’. No vaccine is as yet available for control of bird flu. Readers may question why no vaccine is as yet available, the reason is that the current strain is not currently a great threat. It will only be a real risk once the virus mutates to a form which can be passed human to human. Any vaccine made with the current form, would confer no protection against a new form. Vaccine manufacturers must wait until a further transformation has occurred, before they can harvest a virus and make a vaccine. Our problem is that the time from detection of a ‘new form’ to the mass availability of a vaccine would be ‘months’, during which time many humans could become infected, many of whom may die as a consequence.

[Tr1gger]

The reason they are kicking up such a stink about this is that ever so ofter 20 years or sout the virus mutates and infects humans and experts say this is what might happen again, its a natrual cycle. Thats what they say anyway.

[Isaac]

"...the current strain is not currently a great threat. It will only be a real risk once the virus mutates to a form which can be passed human to human. Any vaccine made with the current form, would confer no protection against a new form...."

??? So the media is freaking out about something that may possibly, sometime in the future, be a threat? Aren't there millions of diseases out there that may possibly, sometime in the future, be a threat? Couldn't (theoretically) ANY disease mutate into a form that could be passed from humans to humans? And there aren't any vaccines for any of them either?! Man, I'm never going to leave the house again! I'll live in a sterile bubble and kill any living thing that approaches to protect myself.

Unbelieveable, the panic that this thing is being turned into! Yeah, be careful but c'mon! This is like people being afraid to go in the ocean because there are sharks there!

(Now having said that I'm going to be the first one to die of bird flu! But with a 1 in 600,000,000 chance I think I'll still be hunting ducks this year.)

[HunterPaul]

with the amount of ***** pumped into the chickens in this country...Id be surprised if any virus could survive .... have you noticed the size of kids these days when I was at school I was considered tall at 6 2, the kids coming out of school tower me....I wonder if the growth hormone in chicken has anything to do with it.......

[Allan]

Think yourself lucky.......at 6ft 2 ,you tower over me!!!
And I love chicken,especially Tikka Biriani with a plain Madras Sauce.

[DeathFromAbove]

with the amount of ***** pumped into the chickens in this country...Id be surprised if any virus could survive .... have you noticed the size of kids these days when I was at school I was considered tall at 6 2, the kids coming out of school tower me....I wonder if the growth hormone in chicken has anything to do with it.......

Here here! - i was one of the taller ones in school too but now i feel like a bloody midget!! in another 50 years it'l be like land of the giants!!! should chop em down jus below the knee :chain: hehe.

[Superfly]

Public pressure on this issue has already started! On Saturday a local Falconry Centre took a few birds into a shopping centre for publicity (questionable actions but there you go).
Some rescue centres need to do this in order to get funds to continue, I suppose it depends on your POV as to the point of it. I know it has already had an impact on one rescue centre where they have had a static display cancelled over concerns and I fear this is only the start. The problem is, if one doesn't go out to raise funds, especially at this time of year, it then puts a huge strain on the running costs, consequently the future of such centres could end up in jeopardy.
Foot and mouth was bad enough, but this is more worrying, on many levels.

One would imagine that if a ban on Shows & displays is in place, logically, a ban on hunting with BOPs would also come into effect as it exposes them to a high risk of contact with wild birds. What impact is that going to have amongst the falconry society I wonder, I'd warrant we'll see some people getting rid of birds because it is too much hassle to keep them if they cannot be flown / hunted. On top of which, the rescue centres will not be allowed to rehome them so that leaves only one option and it isn't a pretty one. :(

Alas the media is only going to fuel the worry as we know, nothing sells papers like bad news. Not that they would ever dream of over-dramatising or sensationalising matters you understand, being responsible journalists and all.

[Peachey16]

omg jus reported on sky news BIRD FLU IN FRANCE it wont be long!!!

arghhhhhhhhhhhh

jus a warning

lee

[Tooker]

"...the current strain is not currently a great threat. It will only be a real risk once the virus mutates to a form which can be passed human to human. Any vaccine made with the current form, would confer no protection against a new form...."

??? So the media is freaking out about something that may possibly, sometime in the future, be a threat? Aren't there millions of diseases out there that may possibly, sometime in the future, be a threat? Couldn't (theoretically) ANY disease mutate into a form that could be passed from humans to humans? And there aren't any vaccines for any of them either?! Man, I'm never going to leave the house again! I'll live in a sterile bubble and kill any living thing that approaches to protect myself.

Unbelieveable, the panic that this thing is being turned into! Yeah, be careful but c'mon! This is like people being afraid to go in the ocean because there are sharks there!

(Now having said that I'm going to be the first one to die of bird flu! But with a 1 in 600,000,000 chance I think I'll still be hunting ducks this year.)


I think that scientists are more worried about bird flu mutating into a form passed by humans to humans in central africa..this is an area with a very high AIDS percentage...people with diminished immune systems will be more likely to start a human to human strain...this is a very real threat...bird flu will reach the uk, most likely within the next few months and within the next couple of years there will be a mutated form of the virus capable of passing from human to human.
Dont be an ostrich!

[IAmTheWeasel]

At the same time not being an ostrich, don't be a doomsayer either....How many infectious diseases and viruses have gone around and eventually fizzled out. Look at West Nile Virus here in the states.... It has run is't course for the most part and cases are not seen near as much now as when it started.