What do you all think about bird flu?

[gottafish]

I was wondering what you guy's think, my wife is kind of leery to let me hunt ducks anymore due to the news saying that the Asia bird flu will come here by waterfowl. In a way she may be right they do kind of hang together In the artic. Any thoughts?

[duckintheblood]

personally i am not to worried about it. to me it seems like there are a lot of "if this happens" around the whole bird flu making it to north america. but on the other hand if something is going to kill me it might as well be bird hunting.

[traks44]

I am gonna ahead for the high country

[Gus Orviston]

just a matter of time...

Bird flu has been esalating since 1997 when it was first sited in Hong Kong. Each year is spreads a bit further in the bird population.

China has 3 of the 6 major bird migratory routes and I think two of them are spreading the disease readily.

To fight the spread they are killing millions,and millions.. I do believe it is nearly a billion or more birds now.

You probably won't get it from the duck, but rather the ducks trasferring the flu to a poultry farm - turkey or chicken and it spreading there rapidly in close quarters mulitplying the chance you would cross its path.

So far they have banned the sale of live foul in Beijing..and reagions around Hong Kong. Now that is a big deal.. a city of 12-15 million and livestock keeps the city moving. For the US that isn't such a big deal. Hasn't hit us here in Shanghai .. YET, but it will soon as the migration brings the birds south.

From here the birds go to Australia, mingle with birds from around the world.. and head back north in thier respective continents.

They are also now vaccinating birds by the millions, however, birds are now becoming carriers and not exhibiting the signs of having the flu.

tick tock,gus

[Ni!]

Here's an article that give some good info on the subject. (Link)

Here's the money quote:

It's practically a state secret that the discovery of H5N1 in poultry dates back not to 1997 but rather to 1959, when it was identified in Scottish chickens. Perhaps haggis had a protective effect on the farmers, but there was a terrible outbreak of the related H5N2 among both chickens and turkeys in Pennsylvania in 1983-85 (17 million birds were destroyed) that appears to have originated as H5N1 in seagulls. So H5N1 has been flying around the globe for over four decades and hasn't done a number on us yet. That doesn't mean it won't ever; but there's absolutely no reason to think it will pick this year or next.

Long story short, the current bird flu could turn into a global pandemic, but the odds are very much against it. There are always things like this knocking around, and you really can't live your life in a state of fear about these things.

Ni!

[elkslayer24]

SUMMER LAKE BILOLOGIST SAY ITS A VIRUS AND THEY SAID AS LONG AS YOU DONT GET AN AFFECTED BIRD.....VERY RARE AS IT IS AND GET ITS BLOOD INTO YOUR BODY ITS FINE SO JUST MAKE SURE TO COOK YOUR BIRDS GOOD AND THEIRS NO PROBLEM, THEY EVEN SAID THIS TO BE TRUE WITH OUR SNOW GEESE THAT COME FROM AFFECTED AREAS.

[Swamp Puppy]

What do you all think about bird flu?

i don't.

[Bait Bucket]

And whatever happened to SARs?

[scubadad]

Look's like a need to shoot more ducks and geese. :grin:

[BIGALSURF]

Don't think the danger is going to be from birds, but if it jumps to people. In that regard I'm distressed, as scientists say that there is a 100% certainty of it jumping to humans in five years, and if it becomes an airborne disease and keeps its lethality of 35% in humans infected, you can imagine the potential, i.e. a cold that kills one third of those infected and wipes out civilization as we know it.

The hope? A vaccine is on the way in 2006.

So hunt ducks while you still can!

[sunshinefisherman]

A diversion from more important issues

[younggun20]

i don't.

Well said. That's the same way I feel. With so many things that might "end civilization" as we know it, you can't go around worrying about every little media story that you here. If you did, you would end up being on house arrest because of all the different pandemics floating around. Cody

[Gus Orviston]

More important issues ?? Don't recall that you can't manage to address more than one thing at a time in our society.

It isn't transmitted first from chicken to human by just blood.. the dust/air born particles from the chicken feces is breathed in. So handling a bird with it can get you the bird flu.

While it may not yet gotten to the US, when it does there will be impact to the food chain/food supply.

Interesting that it was seen in 59,, nonetheless it is obviously escalating in it spreading out. Each year it has been expanding exponentially - agreed it doesn't mean this year .. but expect it sooner than later to have an appearance in NA.

Nothing much you can do. The good thing is the US has much better hygene than all of ASIA, in fact I don't think there is any here, and I have reached an understanding why so many diseases start over here - flu(s), and SARS etc..


gus

[Amahnee]

I read an email today about the symptoms which include the following:

1. High fever
2. Fatigue
3. Nausea
4. Aching joints
5. The overwhelming urge to poop on someones windshield.

[skein]

Follow the money. Create the fear, then dole out the bucks.

How many people have died of bird flu?
How many have died of mad cow disease?
How many have died during the same time of:
Pneumonia, malaria, tuberculosis, aids....

Worry is interest paid ahead of time on a debt you may never owe

Or, as Phil Harris said, "Every microbe and bacillus has a different way to kill us, and in the end they'll claim you for their own..." :grin:

No worry here.

Skein

[blacktail519]

Well I think Costco should certainly quit importanting their chicken from China! 70% of there stock comes from china. I dont buy costco chicken any more!