Mareks is naturally occurring in our enviroment. It is along the same lines as Herpes virus. Their is no cure for Mareks and tumors can develop to threaten the life of the bird or an ocular version that affects the eyes.. Birds die more so from secondary infections etc. from their compromised immune system. Mareks is spread from the feather dander of the infected bird which can shed on to your clothes, skin etc. and affect other birds, so handling them should be done after working with your other birds. Once a bird has Mareks they become a carrier and if they survive they can pass it on to other non-vaccinated birds. Some birds are naturally immune to Mareks, others are not. Their is a Vaccine you can treat your other birds that are not ill, it is only around $10 for a very large bottle. Vaccine does not prevent them from getting the virus but often from developing the tumors that lead to them dieing. As for your sick bird, vitamin deficiencies can cause paralysis's too, so I'd start there. I'd use the Poly - vi - sol vitamins, Vit E, perhaps some predisone to help w/ swelling if you can get some. I'd treat it for a little while and see if that helps. I would defiantly separate her from your others and only handle her after your other birds. If it is Mareks you have a hard choice to make. You can try supportive care and see if she pulls through and in the meantime
Vaccinate all your birds, or cull her and not take a chance, but I'd still vaccinate too. Their is a lot of conflicting info on this subject, do your reserch, talk to your vet, Fort Dodge that makes the vaccines, your state Ag. department and your vet if possible. I hope it is not Mareks and wish you all the best.
