Without regulation, cockfighting could set avian flu pandemic in motion

[pamwv41]

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_4762819,00.html

Here is an article discussing the role transport of cockfighting birds could play in a pandemic.

"Perhaps more than any other activity today, cockfighting may be facilitating the spread of the H5N1 virus across the globe. The unregulated ease with which fighting birds are transported across borders, coupled with the ready exchange of fluids that regularly transpires during cockfighting bouts, is a sure recipe for disaster where the spread of avian diseases is concerned."

[Mingus]

Re: Without regulation, cockfighting could set avian flu pandemic in motion

Thank you pamwv41,

Complete Article for those interested

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_4762819,00.html

Without regulation, cockfighting could set avian flu pandemic in motion

By DR. JEFFREY GREENE ,
June 11, 2006

Tennessee has long been known as the Volunteer State, but there's one thing we can be sure that Tennessee did not volunteer for -- an outbreak of avian flu in its bird populations. Unfortunately, the Tennessee Legislature has so far failed to address what could be one of the most insidious culprits in the spread of this disease: the unregulated and criminal transport of birds for the purpose of cockfighting.

Ever since the H5N1 avian influenza virus first struck in Asia in 2003, hundreds of millions of chickens have died or have been culled in countries around the globe. The virus has also killed people in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The victims were those who had close contact with chickens, such as poultry farmers and those who work with fighting cocks.

For all the drastic measures taken to combat the spread of this virus, there is one key factor that seems to have largely escaped the notice of health officials: the role of cockfighting.

For Tennesseans, this should raise a red flag, especially in the wake of the recent, high-profile cockfighting scandal involving high-ranking government officials in Cocke County. The bust at the Del Rio cockfighting pit netted more than 140 arrests and demonstrates that cockfighting -- despite its illegality -- is alive and well in Tennessee.

Perhaps more than any other activity today, cockfighting may be facilitating the spread of the H5N1 virus across the globe. The unregulated ease with which fighting birds are transported across borders, coupled with the ready exchange of fluids that regularly transpires during cockfighting bouts, is a sure recipe for disaster where the spread of avian diseases is concerned.

The mortality rate for those who've been infected with H5N1 hovers close to the 50 percent mark, which is not a good sign. Worse, there have been several cases where it has likely been transmitted person to person. That is definitely not a good sign.

Right now, H5N1 is still predominately a danger to poultry and birds. It has not yet been reported in America. Of course, it could be here, and we just don't know it yet. This means we must be vigilant, especially when it comes to the rogue blood sport of cockfighting.

Cockfighting is illegal in 48 states and the District of Columbia. It's still legal in Louisiana and New Mexico and is a misdemeanor in Tennessee. Since all interstate transportation or export of birds for fighting purposes is prohibited by the federal Animal Welfare Act, cockfight fans and promoters have been forced to go underground in this country.

Cockfight fans flock to matches not just to watch roosters tear each other to shreds in despicably gory and painful bouts -- they come to gamble. And there's an awful lot of money to be made during cockfighting derbies. A recent raid by the FBI in Tennessee found takings of more than a cool million bucks -- from one night's fighting alone.

And, if cockfighting is a hugely profitable underground spectator sport in America, it's positively massive in Asia. Bouts are even televised in Thailand and the Philippines.

Which brings us back to the risk of bird flu in the United States. And some very, very worrisome information that should alert Americans to the dangers that cockfighting holds for the welfare of people as well as that of the hapless birds forced to fight.

In 2002, there was an outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, a deadly respiratory disease that can infect all bird species. The outbreak is thought to have been spawned by the illegal transportation of cockfighting birds.

After originating in California, it spread in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. More than 4 million birds were ordered destroyed, and it cost the government more than $200 million in containment and compensation.

Needless to say, this was a health disaster for the affected poultry and an economic disaster for affected poultry farmers. In Tennessee, home to such poultry powerhouses as Tyson and ConAgra, the poultry industry is the state's second-largest agricultural commodity, carrying nearly a $1.3 billion impact on the state annually. Any similar such outbreak here would no doubt be devastating to the entire state.

What links END to bird flu is cockfighting. Cockfighting is thought to have been the source of the END outbreak, and chances are good that it will play a major role in the spread of avian influenza, should it arrive in this country. Tens of thousands of fighting cocks move all around the United States on a daily basis. If they catch any kind of avian disease, they can easily spread it wherever they go.

Here's the rub: Where there are injured cocks, there are cock handlers who get covered in their blood and other bodily fluids. Now, bird flu is not transmissible via tainted blood, as is the AIDS virus. But a bird that's been cut to shreds will have blood in its lungs. H5N1 being a respiratory virus, it thrives in the lungs and in certain bodily fluids, namely rooster mucus.

Amid the constant exposure to fluids from injured birds, it's an easy step for an infected, injured bird to spread its illness to its handler. Knowing this, it's not hard to see why so many of the people infected with the H5N1 virus overseas had strong ties to cockfighting.

Pretty sickening, I'd say. And a pretty stupid way to die.

Cockfighting should immediately be banned in Louisiana and New Mexico, and much stiffer penalties should be legislated and enforced to stop those involved in cockfighting in any capacity in Tennessee and anywhere else in this country. The risks are too great. Cockfighting could set a pandemic in motion.

All for the chance to gamble on an inhumane sport.

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