Avian Flu raises its Ugly Head in Eastern US!!
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OP
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Great Question, It is more based on Migration and at this moment, the Northern Hemisphere is being effected. Central and Western Europe has had Hot Spots and will 'likely' have warnings, soon!
Southern Hemisphere, if the virus carry's thru the Summer in the far Great While North, will 'possible' feels the effects Late 2022 as the Migration switches direction (South).
The last time that North American was effected with the Bird Flu strain was about 8+ years ago and was very contagious for Children. At this point, there has been very little comment regarding cross-species spread. BUT, it is still early.
The biggest concern currently is North America Wild and Companion Birds which are outside, or, as in the case of Chicken and Turkey Farms, carry-in contamination!!
Southern Hemisphere, if the virus carry's thru the Summer in the far Great While North, will 'possible' feels the effects Late 2022 as the Migration switches direction (South).
The last time that North American was effected with the Bird Flu strain was about 8+ years ago and was very contagious for Children. At this point, there has been very little comment regarding cross-species spread. BUT, it is still early.
The biggest concern currently is North America Wild and Companion Birds which are outside, or, as in the case of Chicken and Turkey Farms, carry-in contamination!!
If you report a sick bird and it has avian flu they kill all your birds.
fiddlejen
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- Mar 28, 2019
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- Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
Gee. I've only taken Sunny out for two walks so far this year -- both times was maybe just a bit chillier than ideal. Been looking forward to some warmer weather, walks near the water in Newburyport. But probably since waterfowl at risk that's probably a very Not-good idea.
But then I think, since she's in her Carrier, if I take her walking, maybe she would be safe? ?? (That is, she's not in a cage with spaces-between-bars, and certainly not loose-on-harness.) The description does not seem to indicate it would be an airborne-virus, and the breathing mesh is fine enough to protect from no-see-ums. I wonder. But I surely don't want to put her at risk.
fiddlejen
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- Mar 28, 2019
- 1,232
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- Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
Wait. You mean if they could've come in contact right? Like - if hey there's dead bird outside and I report it, they don't just take away my Indoor-Only birds? Would they? I mean if you think might possibly be the case, then thank you so much for the warning! If i were to see any dead bird anywhere, i will definitely ask Someone Else to report it!!!!
OP
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Gee. I've only taken Sunny out for two walks so far this year -- both times was maybe just a bit chillier than ideal. Been looking forward to some warmer weather, walks near the water in Newburyport. But probably since waterfowl at risk that's probably a very Not-good idea.
But then I think, since she's in her Carrier, if I take her walking, maybe she would be safe? ?? (That is, she's not in a cage with spaces-between-bars, and certainly not loose-on-harness.) The description does not seem to indicate it would be an airborne-virus, and the breathing mesh is fine enough to protect from no-see-ums. I wonder. But I surely don't want to put her at risk.
Your Parrot your choice!
ravvlet
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- Jun 25, 2019
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- Kirby - OWA, 33yrs old (2019-)
Broccoli - Dusky Conure - 3?mo old (July 2023 -)
~~~
(Rehomed) Sammy - YNA, 45 yrs old (2022-2023)
(RIP) Cricket - Cockatiel (2019-2022)
I actually ended up finding someone local to take our quail flock and set up who didn’t have companion parrots. I don’t think it’s in our migratory corridor here in the Western US yet but I didn’t want to take chances if it does arrive here.
They’re doing well in their new home and their owners are really enjoying venturing into backyard poultry and have kept us appraised, so they’re in a good place. I suspect the risk was very low, but I like no risk better than low risk.
They’re doing well in their new home and their owners are really enjoying venturing into backyard poultry and have kept us appraised, so they’re in a good place. I suspect the risk was very low, but I like no risk better than low risk.
OP
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I truly had hoped that when I updated myself regarding this years Bird Flu that there would have been a tapering-off. But No! This is sadly far too much doom and gloom for near everyone as it is currently in 40 States in the US and likely all of Canada!
Remember that the first cases where in the upper East Coast and Oho of the US in January! Nothing is migrating in January. That should concern everyone!! The Source document is below. By the time you are reading this document there will likely be confirmed cases in all lower 48 States!
Bird Flu 2022. Source NPR, US
In mid-January, USDA first announced finding highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5) bird flu virus in wild birds, marking the first detection of this virus in wild birds in the United States since 2016. This was followed by announcements of outbreaks of HPAI in commercial poultry beginning February 9, 2022.
A newly arrived bird flu is sweeping through wild bird populations in the United States, and that may mean trouble for poultry farmers who have been doing their best to control this flu outbreak in their flocks.
Some 24 million poultry birds like chicken and turkeys have already been lost, either because they died from the virus or were killed to prevent its spread. But unlike a similar bird flu outbreak seven years ago, this one is unlikely to just burn itself out.
That's because this particular flu virus seems capable of hanging around in populations of wild birds, which can pass the virus on to poultry farms. While chickens and turkeys with the virus quickly sicken and die, some waterfowl can remain healthy with the virus and carry it long distances.
Scientists believe that wild migratory birds brought this virus to North America a few months ago. Since then, more than 40 wild bird species in more than 30 states have tested positive. This strain of bird flu virus has turned up in everything from crows to pelicans to bald eagles.
"It's somewhat surprising how widespread it is already in North America," saysJonathan Runstadler, an influenza researcher at Tufts University. "It's clearly able to persist and transmit from year to year in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and I don't think we should be surprised if that's going to be the case here."
As the virus moves across the country, and potentially settles in for the long haul, it will encounter new animal species that could get infected. This pathogen will also get a chance to genetically mingle with the flu viruses that are already circulating in the U.S.
"What that means for the virus in terms of how it evolves, how it changes, we just don't really know," says Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
There has been only one known human case
So far, the risk to humans seems low.
But since related bird flu viruses have repeatedly jumped into people in the past, public health experts are watching for any signs of genetic changes that could make the virus able to move into humans.
"We're concerned with any avian influenza virus that's circulating in domestic poultry or wild birds," says Todd Davis, an expert on animal-to-human diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Because humans have no prior immunity to these viruses typically, if they were to be infected and spread the virus to other humans, then we could have another pandemic virus on our hands."
This virus doesn't have genetic features previously associated with related bird flus that have infected humans. And the only person known to have contracted this particular bird flu virus was an elderly person in the United Kingdom who lived in close quarters with ducks; while some of the ducks got sick and died, their owner never had any symptoms.
The CDC has been monitoring the health of more than 500 people in 25 states who were exposed to infected birds, says Davis. Although a few dozen people did develop flu-like symptoms, all were tested and none were positive for this virus.
Then, in December of 2021, chickens and other fowl got sick and started dying on a farm on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Tests showed this deadly bird flu virus had made it across the Atlantic.
"The very first moment it got to North America, it was a heads up to us," says Bryan Richards, the emerging diseases coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center.
In January, government officials announced its arrival in the U.S. after a wigeon duck in South Carolina tested positive. The last time a dangerous bird flu entered the country, Richards says, "the number of instances where we picked that particular virus up in wild birds was very, very limited."
In contrast, this latest bird flu virus is being detected in sick and dying birds all over.
"This outbreak in the wild bird population is a lot more extensive than we saw in 2014 and 2015," says David Stallknecht, an avian influenza researcher with the University of Georgia. "Just a lot more birds appear to be affected."
Waterfowl, and raptors that eat their dead bodies, are bearing the brunt of it.
In Florida, for example, more than 1,000 lesser scaup ducks have succumbed to the virus. In New Hampshire, about 50 Canada geese died in a single event. In the Great Plains states, wildlife experts have seen mass die-offs in snow geese.
"In addition, there's a host of other species, including black vultures and bald eagles and some of the other scavenging species, that were likely infected by consuming the carcasses of those waterfowl," says Richards.
It remains to be seen how much of a toll this virus will take on American bird species.
In Israel, when this virus hit an area where about 40,000 common cranes had gathered for the winter, "they lost a reported 8,000 of these birds over the course of a couple weeks," says Richards. "So, when you start thinking about losing 20% of a specific population of wild birds, that's a pretty substantial impact."
The bird flu that struck in 2014 and 2015 resulted in the deaths of more than 50 million birds and cost the industry billions of dollars. Back then, the greatest number of cases occurred in the month of April.
"So I think I am kind of holding my breath this month," says Denise Heard, director of research programs for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
The virus has a number of ways to get from wild birds into poultry, says Heard. Since the last outbreak, the industry has worked to educate farmers about how to protect their flocks.
"Wild migratory waterfowl are always flying over the top and when they poop, that poop gets on the ground," she says, explaining that the virus can then get tracked into bird houses on boots or inadvertently moved from farm to farm on vehicles.
Heard says there currently seems to be less spread of the virus from farm to farm than was seen during the last major outbreak. Instead, there are more isolated cases popping up, perhaps because wild birds are bringing the viruses to farms and backyard flocks.
If this virus sticks around in wild bird populations — which some scientists think is likely — poultry farmers may need to just learn to live with this problem.
"I hope that this is not the case. I hope that in the U.S. this infection will die off soon, and the virus will go away again like it did in 2014," says Ron Fouchier, a virologist at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. "But there's no guarantee for that, as we've seen in Europe now that this virus has remained present for several years in a row."
Since December, farmers in Europe have had to cull more than 17 million birds. "So that's very similar to the situation in the U.S.," says Fouchier. "And we are seeing massive die-offs in wild birds."
Remember that the first cases where in the upper East Coast and Oho of the US in January! Nothing is migrating in January. That should concern everyone!! The Source document is below. By the time you are reading this document there will likely be confirmed cases in all lower 48 States!
Bird Flu 2022. Source NPR, US
In mid-January, USDA first announced finding highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5) bird flu virus in wild birds, marking the first detection of this virus in wild birds in the United States since 2016. This was followed by announcements of outbreaks of HPAI in commercial poultry beginning February 9, 2022.
A newly arrived bird flu is sweeping through wild bird populations in the United States, and that may mean trouble for poultry farmers who have been doing their best to control this flu outbreak in their flocks.
Some 24 million poultry birds like chicken and turkeys have already been lost, either because they died from the virus or were killed to prevent its spread. But unlike a similar bird flu outbreak seven years ago, this one is unlikely to just burn itself out.
That's because this particular flu virus seems capable of hanging around in populations of wild birds, which can pass the virus on to poultry farms. While chickens and turkeys with the virus quickly sicken and die, some waterfowl can remain healthy with the virus and carry it long distances.
Scientists believe that wild migratory birds brought this virus to North America a few months ago. Since then, more than 40 wild bird species in more than 30 states have tested positive. This strain of bird flu virus has turned up in everything from crows to pelicans to bald eagles.
"It's somewhat surprising how widespread it is already in North America," saysJonathan Runstadler, an influenza researcher at Tufts University. "It's clearly able to persist and transmit from year to year in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and I don't think we should be surprised if that's going to be the case here."
As the virus moves across the country, and potentially settles in for the long haul, it will encounter new animal species that could get infected. This pathogen will also get a chance to genetically mingle with the flu viruses that are already circulating in the U.S.
"What that means for the virus in terms of how it evolves, how it changes, we just don't really know," says Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
There has been only one known human case
So far, the risk to humans seems low.
But since related bird flu viruses have repeatedly jumped into people in the past, public health experts are watching for any signs of genetic changes that could make the virus able to move into humans.
"We're concerned with any avian influenza virus that's circulating in domestic poultry or wild birds," says Todd Davis, an expert on animal-to-human diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Because humans have no prior immunity to these viruses typically, if they were to be infected and spread the virus to other humans, then we could have another pandemic virus on our hands."
This virus doesn't have genetic features previously associated with related bird flus that have infected humans. And the only person known to have contracted this particular bird flu virus was an elderly person in the United Kingdom who lived in close quarters with ducks; while some of the ducks got sick and died, their owner never had any symptoms.
The CDC has been monitoring the health of more than 500 people in 25 states who were exposed to infected birds, says Davis. Although a few dozen people did develop flu-like symptoms, all were tested and none were positive for this virus.
Raptors could be especially hard hit
Wildlife experts have long known that highly pathogenic bird flus like this one were circulating in Europe and Asia. And they have worried about the possible threat these viruses might pose to American birds.Then, in December of 2021, chickens and other fowl got sick and started dying on a farm on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Tests showed this deadly bird flu virus had made it across the Atlantic.
"The very first moment it got to North America, it was a heads up to us," says Bryan Richards, the emerging diseases coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center.
In January, government officials announced its arrival in the U.S. after a wigeon duck in South Carolina tested positive. The last time a dangerous bird flu entered the country, Richards says, "the number of instances where we picked that particular virus up in wild birds was very, very limited."
In contrast, this latest bird flu virus is being detected in sick and dying birds all over.
"This outbreak in the wild bird population is a lot more extensive than we saw in 2014 and 2015," says David Stallknecht, an avian influenza researcher with the University of Georgia. "Just a lot more birds appear to be affected."
Waterfowl, and raptors that eat their dead bodies, are bearing the brunt of it.
In Florida, for example, more than 1,000 lesser scaup ducks have succumbed to the virus. In New Hampshire, about 50 Canada geese died in a single event. In the Great Plains states, wildlife experts have seen mass die-offs in snow geese.
"In addition, there's a host of other species, including black vultures and bald eagles and some of the other scavenging species, that were likely infected by consuming the carcasses of those waterfowl," says Richards.
It remains to be seen how much of a toll this virus will take on American bird species.
In Israel, when this virus hit an area where about 40,000 common cranes had gathered for the winter, "they lost a reported 8,000 of these birds over the course of a couple weeks," says Richards. "So, when you start thinking about losing 20% of a specific population of wild birds, that's a pretty substantial impact."
Poultry farmers cull their flocks
Chickens and turkeys raised by the poultry industry have suffered the most deaths, and farmers are bracing themselves for even more.The bird flu that struck in 2014 and 2015 resulted in the deaths of more than 50 million birds and cost the industry billions of dollars. Back then, the greatest number of cases occurred in the month of April.
"So I think I am kind of holding my breath this month," says Denise Heard, director of research programs for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
The virus has a number of ways to get from wild birds into poultry, says Heard. Since the last outbreak, the industry has worked to educate farmers about how to protect their flocks.
"Wild migratory waterfowl are always flying over the top and when they poop, that poop gets on the ground," she says, explaining that the virus can then get tracked into bird houses on boots or inadvertently moved from farm to farm on vehicles.
Heard says there currently seems to be less spread of the virus from farm to farm than was seen during the last major outbreak. Instead, there are more isolated cases popping up, perhaps because wild birds are bringing the viruses to farms and backyard flocks.
If this virus sticks around in wild bird populations — which some scientists think is likely — poultry farmers may need to just learn to live with this problem.
"I hope that this is not the case. I hope that in the U.S. this infection will die off soon, and the virus will go away again like it did in 2014," says Ron Fouchier, a virologist at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. "But there's no guarantee for that, as we've seen in Europe now that this virus has remained present for several years in a row."
Since December, farmers in Europe have had to cull more than 17 million birds. "So that's very similar to the situation in the U.S.," says Fouchier. "And we are seeing massive die-offs in wild birds."
Devastating news here. Our first ever case (yesterday) was 2 dead bald eagles. I, like you, thought it would be tapering off right now.
Henderbird
Well-known member
Omg I never knew about this.
Better I know now than never at least.
I hope things will get better though.
Yes, but for now, I'll be extra cautious around my birdies.Omg I never knew about this.
Better I know now than never at least.
I hope things will get better though.
OP
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Detroit Free Press
With more cases of bird flu detected in wild and domestic birds across Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) suggests Michiganders take down their bird feeders and birdbaths out of an abundance of caution.
Birds flock to Michigan in April and May as they migrate through the Great Lakes region after wintering in Central and South America. Migrating species, such as the colorful yellow-rumped warbler or the soaring broad-winged hawk, may seek out food sources in backyard bird feeders, causing some Michigan birders to worry about spreading the avian influenza, also known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI),
HPAI was first detected in the state in a backyard, nonpoultry flock of birds in Kalamazoo County in late February. Birds at the Detroit Zoo were moved indoors in response to protect from bird flu exposure. More recent cases of HPAI have cropped up across the state, including in household parrots in Washtenaw County on April 18.
With more cases of bird flu detected in wild and domestic birds across Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) suggests Michiganders take down their bird feeders and birdbaths out of an abundance of caution.
Birds flock to Michigan in April and May as they migrate through the Great Lakes region after wintering in Central and South America. Migrating species, such as the colorful yellow-rumped warbler or the soaring broad-winged hawk, may seek out food sources in backyard bird feeders, causing some Michigan birders to worry about spreading the avian influenza, also known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI),
HPAI was first detected in the state in a backyard, nonpoultry flock of birds in Kalamazoo County in late February. Birds at the Detroit Zoo were moved indoors in response to protect from bird flu exposure. More recent cases of HPAI have cropped up across the state, including in household parrots in Washtenaw County on April 18.
ravvlet
Well-known member
- Jun 25, 2019
- 2,348
- 7,085
- Parrots
- Kirby - OWA, 33yrs old (2019-)
Broccoli - Dusky Conure - 3?mo old (July 2023 -)
~~~
(Rehomed) Sammy - YNA, 45 yrs old (2022-2023)
(RIP) Cricket - Cockatiel (2019-2022)
It appears that bird flu has officially been found even in the westernmost migratory corridor. Looks like rehoming quail was the correct move. I’ll have to stop letting the kids come into the parrot rooms with shoes on and hope that we can move Sammy into there so I have less spaces to worry about keeping sanitized.
OP
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That is a difficult question to answer as it comes down to whether a 'Hot Spot' sets in near you. That has happened in Western Europe over the last five Winters, which is why they saw cases so early this year. The same likely happened in North American over this last Winter with the early spead.
As a general statement, you are likely safe. That said, it is worth check your Government's Web Site for announcements from time to time.
As a general statement, you are likely safe. That said, it is worth check your Government's Web Site for announcements from time to time.
Finally read my Farm and Dairy newspaper from last week and there is a update on the bird flu in Pennsylvania. I'm paraphrasing this but I think you could read the article on the Farm and Dairy website.
PA went from no cases reported as of April 22 then within 1 week moved to the second highest cases load in the country. These have all been reported in Lancaster County. There is a 10 kilometer control zone in place but they believe it was spread by wild birds.
At the time of this article 3.5 million domestic birds have died or been culled
PA went from no cases reported as of April 22 then within 1 week moved to the second highest cases load in the country. These have all been reported in Lancaster County. There is a 10 kilometer control zone in place but they believe it was spread by wild birds.
At the time of this article 3.5 million domestic birds have died or been culled
I was wondering if this was something I need to worry about. Does the bird flu affect all avian critters My family has a business that deals with the cleaning of the chicken farms for Tyson chicken and such. We do all of Ky and half of Tennessee as well as a couple in North Carolina.
Yes it can affect all birds. Try to encourage everyone to sanitize and be a little extra careful when coming home from work.
Check into the "Farm and Dairy" newspaper you might be close enough to get it. It's mostly a ohio Pennsylvania Kentucky farm paper but excellent updates on the bird flu
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