Avian Influenza - Your Questions Answered
18 years ago
3873 views
Posted
28th April, 2006 00h00
Avian influenza (bird flu) is much in the headlines at the moment. With the breeding season upon us, and many birds returning from Africa, some people are becoming nervous about the birds they previously enjoyed watching in their gardens. We bring you reassurance and the facts you need to know.
Should I be worried about bird flu now it's in the UK?
H5 bird flu has now been detected in the UK, in a dead swan, near Fife. However, the risk to human health would is still considered to be very small. There is only one recorded instance where a human case may have resulted from contact with infected wild birds. The overwhelming majority of the 190 human cases worldwide have resulted from close contact with infected domestic poultry. The disease is currently not easily transmitted from human to human.
One unfortunate consequence of the hysteria that has surrounded this crisis is that some people have become nervous of the wild birds around them. This is very sad, especially as there is really no need.
As we enter the breeding season, the birds around our homes and gardens become more obvious as they work to raise their broods, and this has long been a source of considerable pleasure to many people. There is no reason not to continue to enjoy them.
Is it safe to feed the birds?
Wild birds are incredibly important in the lives of many people. The RSPB values this special relationship and encourages everyone to enjoy feeding garden birds.
It is extremely unlikely that avian influenza could be transmitted to people by feeding birds in the garden, but good hygiene at bird feeding stations is sensible, in any case.
It is, of course, sensible to wash your hands thoroughly after feeding ducks or other birds. It is advisable not to let birds feed out of your hands, and again, to wash your hands thoroughly if you come into contact with bird droppings, especially before eating or drinking.
Is it safe to visit the countryside?
The government have made it very clear that the countryside does not need to be closed down because of bird flu, as was the case with foot and mouth disease.
There are plans in place to contain and stamp out outbreaks of the disease, and these are now operating to contain the outbreak in Scotland. Movement controls of poultry have been put in place within the Government declared 3 km protection and 10 km surveillance zone around the outbreak.
The RSPB will be carrying out daily surveillance of reserves closest to the outbreak, but all reserves remain open, and they are still welcoming visitors - there is no need to stop visiting the countryside.
In Europe, the nests of some white storks have been destroyed quite unecessarily.
What about birds nesting around my house and garden?
We understand that in some European countries, people have been destroying nests of white storks, and the globally-threatened lesser kestrel. The risk to human health from wild birds is so remote that we think such action is unnecessary and will result in a serious loss of nest sites for these birds.
Calls for culls of wild birds or disturbance measures to prevent migrant birds from nesting have also been made elsewhere in the world. These measures will not have the desired effect and may make the situation worse by dispersing potentially infected individuals. They could also have a serious, and totally pointless, impact on wild bird populations.
We very much hope that the UK public will continue to value wild birds, and will not attempt to prevent birds nesting, either by removing nest sites before the birds begin to breed, or by disturbing the birds or their nests once they have begun. This sort of activity will not provide protection from bird flu and could be serious for the birds.
In the case of nests already in use (this includes nests being built or repaired), it is an offence to disturb or destroy them. People should adopt the simple precaution of avoiding bird carcasses and exercising the good hygiene measures described above.
Some of the birds that nest around our homes and gardens need your help. Homes Fit For Birds is a brand new pilot project open to anyone wishing to help birds in their home and garden. The Homes Fit For Birds pages are full of practical advice that you can follow to help birds and other wildlife in your garden. Click on the link on the right to find out more.
Should I be worried about migratory birds this spring?
Ducks, geese and swans appear to be the most likely wild birds able to carry H5N1 long distances. No species of this family, with the exception of a handful of garganeys, will return to the UK this spring from Africa, and a small number of pochards, which may come here from the near Continent.
A few species of waders, such as whimbrels and black-tailed godwits, may also pass through west Africa on their return to the UK, but again numbers are small and there is less evidence that these species can carry the virus over long distances.
Thousands of songbirds (warblers, chats, wagtails and swallows) will pass through west Africa on their passage to the UK, but it is unlikely that they could carry the disease long-distances, or that they would come into contact with sources of infection.
What is the risk of cats catching and transmitting H5N1 avian influenza?
The H5N1 avian influenza virus in its current form does not transmit easily from birds to mammals. However, a few cats have caught the disease through eating infected birds in Asia and recently a single cat died of H5N1 on the island of Rügen in the German Baltic. This individual was in an area where hundreds of wild waterbirds had died of the disease.
The risk of a domestic cat in the UK contracting the disease is remote, especially as the vast majority of garden birds killed by cats are not those species most at risk of carrying the disease.
The RSPB, along with the RSPCA, the British Veterinary Association and the Feline Advisory Bureau, urges people not to abandon pet cats (or any other pets); this would be cruel and may have an additional impact on wildlife.
As always, people should observe good hygiene with respect to pet animals, and should illness present itself, consult their veterinary surgeon at the earliest opportunity.
More from
