National Wildlife Federation/ San Diego County

Bird Flu

Basic Information on Bird (Avian) Flu

American Bird Conservancy Position Statement on Avian Influenza


Recent outbreaks of the virulent subtype of the avian influenza type
'A' virus, known as H5N1 or "avian flu" are causing worldwide concern.
All subtypes of type 'A' influenza viruses occur naturally in wild
birds, particularly waterfowl, most causing little or no threat to the
health of birds or people. However, H5N1 is an especially virulent and
contagious strain, and was first recorded in domestic poultry in Asia.
It has since spread to some wild birds in Asia and Eastern Europe. It
has also infected more than 100 people and caused the deaths of 61 of
them. Almost all human cases to date have been transmitted from poultry,
and there have been no recorded instances of transmission from wild
birds to humans.


Whereas wild birds may play a role in the spread of this disease, the
early spread through Asia appears to more closely track the commercial
movements of domestic poultry. If migratory birds were the key factor in
its movement, outbreaks could also have been expected to occur in areas
where they have not yet been recorded, such as the Philippines, Taiwan,
and Australia which lie along regular migratory pathways for Asian
birds. Nonetheless, recent outbreaks in China, Russia, and Eastern
Europe may be linked to wild bird movements.

Transmission from human to human has only been recorded in very rare
cases, and in those cases the disease has not progressed past the second
individual. Unless the virus mutates to be readily transmissible from
human to human, the risk of a major human outbreak is low. Most human
infections currently respond to drugs commonly used to treat human
influenza strains, though resistance to those drugs has been recorded in
Vietnam and may become a more significant factor in the future.

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) strongly opposes the culling of wild
birds and the draining of wetlands in response to H5N1. The best
science, as well as common sense, indicates that these actions are
impractical, and could even result in an increase in the spread of the
virus by causing birds to disperse more widely. The World Health
Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
have also taken this position.

Effective control of the disease should instead first focus on the
domestic poultry industry, including: stringent global monitoring
programs; immediate culling and correct disposal of infected flocks;
limiting contact between domestic poultry and wild birds to limit the
possible spread to wild flocks; and restrictions on the movement of
domestic poultry, including banning poultry and other live bird imports
and exports where needed. Because there have been recent records of cage
birds transported in the international pet trade testing positive for
H5N1, a ban on the trade in cage birds should be implemented to limit
the spread of the virus.

ABC also supports efforts to monitor the spread of the virus in wild
birds, as well as research into any differential effects across species
and regions, as well as gathering more data on the ecological strategy
of the virus so that H5N1 may be more fully understood and future
outbreaks prevented.

To date, H5N1 has not been recorded in North America. The observation
of dead wild birds does not necessarily indicate the arrival of the
virus to America, as bird deaths can be caused by a variety of diseases
as well as other factors such as pesticide poisoning. Large bird
die-offs should be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so
they can investigate the exact cause. There is no evidence that feeding
of wild birds plays a role in the spread of the disease, but people
should clean bird feeders regularly to limit the spread of other
diseases.

ABC will continue to monitor the situation and issue additional
advisories if and when new information comes to light.

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Source of this information

American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) is a 501(c)3
not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to conserve native wild
birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It is the only
U.S.-based, group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats
facing birds in the Western Hemisphere. ABC believes adequate resources
exist to overcome these threats, and that unifying people,
organizations, and agencies around common approaches to priority issues
is the key to success.