poultry flu

NOTES ON A SPECIES NEW TO SCIENCE - THE TOOTH FAIRY BIRD
Martin Williams and Nial Moores

Surely one of the most startling of the flurry of new findings made during the spread of H5N1 avian influenza has been the discovery of the Tooth Fairy Bird – which we believe is the first bird species to have been initially described by virologists, and is remarkable for being able to survive and sustain and spread H5N1.

[b]David Melville (ornithologist) and K.F.

Aricle in NY Times won't be a surprise to anyone familiar with situation re wild birds and H5N1 (well, contents not a surprise; may be a suprise to see an article on the issue that's factual rather than speculative poop).

Juan Lubroth of FAO, quoted here, is disingenuous re our not having answers: situation in east Asia has shown wild birds can't survive and sustain and spread H5N1 (tho in article, too, is hint of Tooth Fairy Bird - as if it might still exist despite no evidence).

letter I've just had published in the Independent (UK):

Don't blame deadly flu on wild birds

Sir: I am an ornithologist based in Hong Kong, and since 2003 have followed the spread of H5N1 and the purported role of wild birds. I was surprised to read Sir Hugh Pennington's assertion (letter, 19 March) that "the evidence that these viruses [highly pathogenic avian influenzas] evolve in wild birds and are spread by them is overwhelmingly strong," as this contradicts all evidence I am aware of.

Natural wild bird flus are mild.

Reports re wild birds being killed (and scared off) in attempts to lower H5N1 risks seem to be increasing.
- despite scientific evidence being that they can't sustain H5N1.

In Thailand some time ago, Prime Minister Thaksin threatened to cull openbill storks when some (around 8?) died with H5N1.

Late to post this [re magpie robin, the first bird to test positive for H5N1 in HK during early 2006], after some hassles with website over past few days, but, from HK government, 19 January 2006:

I received an email from a correspondent, Jo, including:

- sent out an email re this to several people interested in H5N1 and conservation; led to flurry of info.

- notable partly as mute swans dying of H5N1 in Croatia (with one of them ringed in Hungary during prior stopover, with dates showing it surely

Perhaps since before recorded history began, we've been fascinated by people who tell us we're all doomed - the end of the world is nigh.

post I just made in response to a question on Agonist.org, may be of interest:

In short, yes, I do believe wild birds are not spreading bird flu - not h5n1 variant that we're so concerned about. (But they carry plenty of flus; benign for vast vast majority, till farming gets them and transforms [into frankenflus - yikes!].)

Bit longer: birds were claimed to be vectors during 2003/2004, when there was extensive spread in east and se Asia.