bird flu links

Birder's World Magazine put together a page on avian flu, especially relating to questions they get from the birdwatching general public.  I thought they did a nice job, in particular the large number of links to official web sites and topical information from conservation organizations, all arranged by subject.

H5N1 is a blog that has a huge array of news source links.  The author is or was a teacher so is not a medical or scientific expert, but he performs the stated purpose ("News and Resources about Avian Flu") in a clear, organized fashion.  My favorite source for analysis on avian flu is still over at Effect Measure, authored by public health professionals.  And be sure to check out the Flu Wiki, too.

Comments

[James Love]

Info on how families can prepare for bird flu.

[Bruce Andrew Peters]

Here's an interesting site for those interested in preventing Bird Flu: www.BanBirdFlu.org

[Bruce Andrew Peters]

Here's an interesting site for those interested in preventing Bird Flu: www.BanBirdFlu.org

[Nuthatch]

There's nothing very objective about a web site promoting vegetarianism and using avian flu as a reason. While I have objections on many grounds to factory farms for poultry, this isn't one of them. Chickens kept completely indoors are more protected from exposure to the virus than chickens outdoors. Look at the poultry practices where the disease has been found: small rural farms where the fowl are outdoors, roaming around with other livestock.

The information on this site that says "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can be caught simply by eating undercooked meat or eggs, by eating undercooked food prepared on the same cutting board as infected meat or eggs, or even by touching eggshells contaminated with the disease" is incorrect! The CDC says that poultry can be eaten even in areas that have experienced outbreaks provided that it is properly cooked. They state explicitly: "Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food...even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus."

It's common knowledge you should not eat uncooked or undercooked poultry or meat. Using this as a scare tactic, frankly, doesn't promote the cause of vegetarianism.

[Lanny Chambers]

NY Times article about an alternative perspective

[PeaceofMeat]

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can be caught simply by eating undercooked meat or eggs, by eating undercooked food prepared on the same cutting board as infected meat or eggs, or even by touching eggshells contaminated with the disease"

That's not incorrect. It's the same thing stated differently. As: "Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food...even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus."

So it can be transmitted through undercooked chicken/turkey meat and eggs. So Peta is factually correct.

Lots of people eat their eggs over easy, and leave their chicken a little pink on the inside. Whether it's common knowledge to cook your animal flesh and products thoroughly, that I don't know, but it's not common practice to cook thoroughly since it's too dry for some people's taste.

[Brian]

Nuthutch needs a basic lesson about how viruses mutate. They do so in crowded stressed environments. Grain.org has a very comprehensive report on factory farms and how they are the root cause of bird flu. Its called Fowl Play:
http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=194

Everyone should read it.

[Nuthatch]

Brian should note that nothing I've written in this post or comments has to do with how viruses mutate, but how the virus would be contracted and spread.

I agree that factory farms are excellent incubators and mixers for pathogens. But your own link includes the statement: "The highly pathogenic strains of bird flu develop in poultry, most likely in poultry exposed to milder strains that live naturally in wild bird populations." If the poultry are kept indoors and not exposed to pathogens, the pathogen(s) are not able to evolve in these conditions.

In the months since I wrote this post, evidence has surfaced that large scale poultry farms are strongly implicated in the spread of avian flu, not migratory birds. The links I provide here and since cover this topic. The link Brian provided has a lot of information, and in my brief read, it seems quite thorough and accurate, and I thank him for passing it on.