Oh, doesn’t seem to matter how much repeat re trade etc; wild birds have been pronounced guilty in the Salem Bird Trials.
Today’s S China Morning Post has item on conclusion of H5N1 meeting called by World Bank and three UN food and health agencies (but no UN conservation agency).
Says action plan includes “study of migratory bird patterns to predict which countries will have H5N1 cases next”.
Never mind that still lack proof wild birds actually carrying H5N1 around – why no study, say, into why H5N1 so widespread in Asia in 2003/04, there were some outbreaks in Asia this spring and summer, yet no outbreaks in wiid waterbirds reported in Asia (or anywhere outside Russia, Romania and Croatia) this autumn?
Indeed, why do some “experts” (hmm) expect H5N1 to arrive in Africa around now, when migratory birds can’t even spread it around Asia?
Action plan apparently does not include a study into legal and illegal poultry trade, and wild bird trade – even though there is indeed proof this can transport avian flu over long distances. Odd, that.
(Where is IUCN in all this? FAO doing its best to absolve agriculture and blame birds – surely could use some balance?)