Bird Flu heading towards UK (1 Viewer)

[Dimitris]

I know one thing:

I'm not going to stop birdwatching.

Dimitris

 

[Gus Horsley]

I know one thing too...

I'm not getting into the subject of culls again!

Gus

 

[helenol]

I know one thing too...

I'm not getting into the subject of culls again!

Gus

LOL! I wonder why...!

 

[June Atkinson]

Bird Flu

Not clued up, but as I understand it two key issues in relation to migrating wild birds are:

(1) can healthy birds carry the virus (because if they catch it and die, they won't be able to spread it by migrating)

(2) in cases where wild birds have been found dead with virus (such as Bar-headed Geese and others) did they catch it from poultry (rather than vice versa).

As for the virus itself, it is only a threat of the sort you desribe if (in addition to it being transferred to and carried by healthy wild birds, which I believe remains unproven) it mutates into something which can readly be transmitted from human to human. So far, if human to human transmission has happened at all, it has been in pretty exceptional circumstances.

By the way, if anyone has a link to the text of Ben Bradshaw's (Env' Minister) recent statement on this issue, I would be interested to see it. According to press reports one comfort factor cited in it is that the birds potentially carrying the virus migrate east to west, whereas "ours" migrate north to south..

The Sunday Mirror

FIVE UK BIRD FLU CASES REPORTED Mar 6 2005

By Vincent Moss

BRITAIN has already had five suspected cases of the killer bird flu, the Government has disclosed.

The revelation comes after warnings that the virus could be contained in poultry feathers imported from China and used to stuff pillows.

Ben Bradshaw, the environment minister said: "Since February 2004, five reports of suspected avian flu have been notified to the State Veterinary Service."

The news comes despite repeated assurances from officials that the threat of the disease - which has claimed at least 40 lives in Asia - spreading to Britain is "extremely low". The Government plans to stockpile 14.6million doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Mr Bradshaw added that none of the five suspected UK cases had been confirmed as avian flu.

Microbiologist Prof Hugh Pennington said: "It may not be very easy for the feathers to be infectious to people but they could certainly be infectious to birds."

 

[hollis_f]

As Jos alludes to above if the same sum of money from the flu antivirals was spent on third world vaccination/malarial projects undoubtedly far more lives would be saved........ but saving lives isn't the issue here is it?

How much is your company spending on malarial projects? http://www.gsk.com/malaria/wafrica.htm

 

[Tyke]

In the spirit of your post Hollis:-

http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/050819/241/fq1q6.html

Not that malaria has any relevance to the topic of this thread.

Colin

 

[Steve G]

How much is your company spending on malarial projects? http://www.gsk.com/malaria/wafrica.htm

Oh aye.
Nobody could deny GSK's commitment to make antiviral therapy available to all!
www.aegis.com/news/bw/2002/BW020901.html

 

[Tyke]

The view of EU Vets :-

“There was an extensive discussion on the possibility of the disease spreading into the EU via migratory birds. Taking into account existing knowledge of the migratory routes of the species of birds that might pose a risk of spreading the virus, the [EU expert] group concluded that the immediate risk is probably remote or low, depending on the area of the EU,”


http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/08/6052ba79-479a-428e-8bb4-ca00765f533f.html

Colin

 

[Tyke]

Interesting report on the H5NI cases in wild birds to date:-

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/08260503/H5N1_Finland_Pandemic.html

Colin