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        Special Topics 特別主題 >> Wild Birds & Avian Flu 野鳥與禽流感 >>  Bird Flu and (Domestic) Ducks 家鴨可能隱藏禽流感病毒
        
(Message started by: HKBWS Office on Nov 30^th, 2004, 1:53pm)

Title: Bird Flu and (Domestic) Ducks 家鴨可能隱藏禽流感病毒
Post by HKBWS Office on Nov 30^th, 2004, 1:53pm

For members' information. Message extracted from Oriental Bird Club e-mail group from Dr Williams. Hope this would give more information to members about latest finding of avian flu.

Quote"

----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Williams"
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 10:09 AM
Subject: [OB] bird flu and (domestic) ducks

Hi all:

You may have heard of latest finding, reported on WHO website:

" A new laboratory study of domestic ducks infected with several 2004 H5N1 viruses shows that, when compared with infections caused by viruses from 2003, domestic ducks are shedding more virus for longer periods. The majority are doing so without showing symptoms of illness.

Findings from this study also show that, compared to highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses from previous outbreaks, the recent H5N1 viruses survive several days longer in the environment.

The study found that the quantities of virus excreted by
healthy-looking ducks approach those excreted by diseased – and visibly very ill – chickens. This suggests that domestic ducks might now be acting as a “silent” reservoir for the H5N1 virus, which is highly pathogenic for chickens."

Seems a different situation to the past winter, when many domestic ducks reportedly died from the H5N1 "Z" variant.
To me, worrisome - surely indicates that there may now be a form of H5N1 that just might be transmissible by wild ducks (rather than, as till now, this extremely nasty disease evidently killing everything it  
infects: ducks, geese, swans, peregrines, tigers, humans).

Also seems WHO more concerned about pandemic potential: maybe 100 million people could die. (Maybe seems far-fetched, but look for info on "Spanish" Flu of around 1918; seemed especially bad for fit young
men, who should brush off normal flu.)

Might enhance calls for culling etc, also increase general public fear of wild birds. Surely merits concern from all of us; and efforts to ensure that base responses on facts, not (as I suggested in email to a HK microbiologist) "arm-waving pseudo-science".
(Yes, that upset the micro-biologist, who correctly said that not polite; but came up with not a jot of evidence to substantiate a link between migratory birds and H5N1 spread implied in a Nature paper he co-authored.)

Poultry industry - which spawned and evidently transports the H5N1 variant - has powerful lobby. For birds, seems to me it's up to people like us to speak up for them. (WHO, say, is focused on human health, so some excuse for carelessness re possible links to wild birds.)

Brighter note: this article from Malaysian newspaper, saying wild birds are victims. Based on info that's now getting a little dated, inc Dr Hugh Buck's post to this email group.
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/11/23/features/9437784&sec=features

Regards,
Martin

http://www.hkoutdoors.com: enjoying and protecting wild Hong Kong
http://www.drmartinwilliams.com: writer, photographer

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