OT: Are you Afraid of the Avian Flu
windoze
Registered Users Posts: 2,830 Major grins
maybe you have noticed ( and maybe to everyone's benefit ) i havent really posted many bird images lately...... truth is im scared of the avian flu.. :cry
since there are a lot of birders on dgrin i was curious if anybody else feels the way i do or have changed their ways about how they photograph birds.. :dunno
one of the reasons ( birds ) i was becoming more interested in photography is now one of the reasons not to photograph.... life can be funny that way....
troy
since there are a lot of birders on dgrin i was curious if anybody else feels the way i do or have changed their ways about how they photograph birds.. :dunno
one of the reasons ( birds ) i was becoming more interested in photography is now one of the reasons not to photograph.... life can be funny that way....
troy
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I think your reaction is quite normal. However, as of this point, the instances of transmission from bird to human is still quite rare and isolated to people who have regular contact (i.e. bird handlers, chicken farmers) with them. So, unless your handling the birds you are photographing, I would'nt worry about it.
PS I work for the Public Health Agency of Canada, here's a link to some good information on H5N1.
AJ
We - my wife and myself - are going to Borneo next month and we feel this kind of information is important and usefull. Thought we have already read about the asian Influenza before.
Troy: I think it is a little exageration not to photograph birds. They stay far from us ... and the main danger comes from their great concentration, which is not the case of the birds when in the nature.
I read in the paper today:
America - no case of flue whatsoever;
Europe - 4 dead persons; 24 countries "infected"
Shoot the birds ! (with the camera ):D
Regards
They are worried that the strain could mutate and do this but if it hasn't happened yet chances are it won't.
Countries that haves cases of PPL getting it were where they keep birds for pets!
At this point it's more of a risk to drive your car to work than get the avian flu!
Manfrotto Mono | Bag- LowePro Slingshot 100AW
http://www.graphyfotoz.smugmug.com/
Driving is in fact more dangerous... than photographing birds 250 meters away.
Regards:):
At this point we really have more to fear from mosquitos than from birds. The cases of Avian Flu that are being reported are mostly in countries where hygiene is not up to our standards. In many of these countries people actually live side by side with their fowl. In the house on dirt floors, eating and drinking in those same areas.
Just a few tidbits from the WHO web site.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
[/FONT]All evidence to date indicates that close contact with dead or sick birds is the principal source of human infection with the H5N1 virus. Especially risky behaviours identified include the slaughtering, defeathering, butchering and preparation for consumption of infected birds. In a few cases, exposure to chicken faeces when children played in an area frequented by free-ranging poultry is thought to have been the source of infection. Swimming in water bodies where the carcasses of dead infected birds have been discarded or which may have been contaminated by faeces from infected ducks or other birds might be another source of exposure.
Investigations of all the most recently confirmed human cases, in China, Indonesia, and Turkey, have identified direct contact with infected birds as the most likely source of exposure.
End
The best line of defense for us right now is something your mother has told your for years and years.
Wash your hands often and don't play in bird poop.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
I was reading the other day that something like 35 000 americans die each year from the 'normal' flu...god sakes guys..how many die on the roads or from ciggarettes/booze but they are boring & we are not frightened of them anymore so we need a new monster under the bed. !! This is the garbage that IS killing us yet we want to be sold a toyota whilst watching telly in some terrified state wondering what the world will become over something that hasnt happened & most likely never will & if it does then it is not going to finish our population off.
ITS A MEDIA BEAT UP FOR ADVERTISING $$$$$$$$$
end rant
Another clip from WHO web site.
"First identified in Italy in 1878, highly pathogenic avian influenza........."
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
Basically it amounts to this..Don't eat bird poop
Always wear gloves when handling ANY orphaned or injured wildlife
Wash your hands
Don't smooch wild birds, and no, I'm not making light or fun of your concerns Troy. Trust me I'll be dealing with the public panic soon enough. WNV was crazy this ought to be real fun..
The USGS has been testing wild birds in the US for the last 8 moths and only found the 'norma' avain influenza (s). Calif. has a top notch bunch of folks in the field that will be doing constant monitoring.
Troy enjoy your wild birds and take lots of shots!