Can someone set me straight about avian flu?

[Nif]

Well, there are lots of avian flus. The ones showing potential to cross from birds to humans have not been commonly found here, from what I've read. I was assuming that was what the OP meant.

That's kinda what I thought too...that's why I attached the link that I found.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I recently went to see the film "Mad City Chickens". Avian flu is discussed in some depth during one segment of the film, and the university expert they interviewed (sorry, I don't remember his name or affiliation) said it's basically IMPOSSIBLE for your backyard flock to contract avian flu, at least the version of it from Asia we think of that frightens people so much.

I don't remember the exact quote but he said that even if an infected bird flew over your house and dropped its poo in your chicken pen, they STILL would not get sick, because the germs would be killed by sunlight.

He suggested that the over-confinement and dense factory conditions in Southeast Asia may well have been the reason avian flu got started in the first place, and that backyard flocks are not only safe but a much healthier environment for poultry.

 

[Nif]

Thanks bawk.....

 

[Wifezilla]

Bawkbawk, that basically echos what Joel Salatin said.

The lesson is really not to overcrowd your birds and make sure they get plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

 

[wombat]

I just wanted to clear that up.

Most of the influenzas around get their start with migratory waterfowl in China. They morph into this, that, or the other thing, sometimes end up being an influenza humans can get.

To say that most birds, if tested, would test positive for influenza antibodies is true ... and they're birds, so a flu a bird gets is an "avain flu."

The scary flus are the ones that can cross between species. So there's "avain flus", and then there's the Avian Flu scare that was going on in Asia / SE Asia for a while, because the cross-species potential that's always there actually came to pass.

That particular avian flu has been extremely rare here.

 

[Nif]

That particular avian flu has been extremely rare here

H5N1 is the strain being tracked on the World Health Organization. That is a strain that crosses over species and the mortality rate is high.​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Not only rare; it has NEVER been in the US.

 

[wombat]

Quote:
Here's where it has been found in poultry:
http://www.oie.int/downld/AVIAN INFLUENZA/A_AI-Asia.htm

As per the CDC, no American has been know to have become infected at home or abroad.
http://www.flu.gov/faq/avianinfluenza/1240.html

Here are the WHO's statistics for confirmed cases in humans world wide ...
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2009_08_31/en/index.html

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

In Illinois, testing for influenza A and influenza B will only require "novel influenza H1N1 (Swine Flu)" testing if the first swab resulted positive for influenza A. There is currently no protocol for influenza H5N1 (Avian Flu) testing. The turnaround time for results is 4 to 6 days. The cost is around $350. So beware the initial cost if you're planning to get tested for influenza virus. The H1N1 swabs are currently send-out tests, meaning there's only a few facilities that can run the test; my empoloyer hospital is using Mayo Clinic in Minnesota via the IDPH (Illinois dept of public health).

The test is nasal-pharyngeal swabs. That means a thin wire swab (think long, skinny Qtip) is sent through your nose into the back of your throat and spun around there, then pulled back out in a spinning motion. Its not terribly uncomfortable, but annoying. Its very hard to get a kid swabbed. Most people don't consider the cost of the test when they ask for it. Most emergency room employees don't have the time to look that part up. But be certain there will be a bill for that service, and it could run a few hundred dollars.