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| Science & Technology |
| Hunters told to take precautions against bird flu transmission |
| 2006-04-03 |
| Oregon waterfowl hunters might find themselves on the front lines of the fight against an avian flu outbreak in North America. Birds found in Oregon are known to mix in Alaska with birds from Asia, where the virus is most prevalent, leaving birds migrating through the western United States as one of the virus' possible routes to America. Waterfowl experts are warning hunters to take precautions as a result, from wearing gloves when field-dressing waterfowl to dousing knives with a bleach solution when done. They are also advising hunters to clean and disinfect decoys and waders if hunting in waters where the virus is found. Hunters are also being told to provide samples waterfowl they've killed for testing, and to ensure that all waterfowl are fully cooked before eaten. "It's like (hurricanes) Katrina and Rita," spokesman Gregg Patterson of the Tennessee-based Ducks Unlimited told The Medford Mail-Tribune. "You realize we're not insulated against this kind of stuff. What everybody needs to do is prepare for it." Avian Influenza, or AI, is a set of viruses that are naturally found in wild birds, particularly waterfowl and shorebirds that normally suffer no ill effects from them. However, domestic birds like chickens are generally more susceptible. But the H5N1 strain now found in 41 countries in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe is frequently fatal to birds and easily transmissible between species. To date, scientists' ultimate fear is that the virus will mutate into one that can be passed among humans. The National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin says as of mid-March, the H5N1 virus has sickened 177 people and killed 98, mostly in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Turkey. Most of those were infected from eating or handling infected chickens. Just the mention of avian flu has scared some Oregonians out of waterfowl hunting, said Brad Bales, waterfowl biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "I got, maybe, a dozen calls (last season) from hunters who said their families won't let them hunt anymore because of avian influenza," Bales said. Oregon expects to receive about $400,000 in federal funds for various sampling efforts beginning in the fall, Bales said. Cackling Canada geese, a priority species, will be tested by sampling birds at hunter check-in stations in Northwest Oregon, where they concentrate, Bales said. Other species, such as shovelers, pintails and green-winged teals, could be tested elsewhere in the state, he said. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |