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MAINE BIOLOGISTS BEGIN TESTING FOR BIRD VIRUS
June 28, 2006 (Kennebec Journal)
By Columnist Dave Sherwood
Don't panic. It's not time to sound the alarm -- or even change your usual habits. But as a hunter, be aware that Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists are now testing ducks, geese and other birds in Maine for avian influenza. The virus, known to scientists as H5N1, is one of a wide range of viruses that afflicts domestic poultry and, very occasionally, wild birds.
The difference between this one and other more benign viruses is its ability to infect humans.
It's hardly an epidemic in the United States. Alaska, the state furthest in distance from Maine (besides Hawaii) is most susceptible, thanks to its proximity to Asia, where the flu originated. The Bering Sea separates the two land masses, and North American birds often migrate to Asia to spend the winter. But even in Alaska, there's yet to be a single confirmed report of Avian Influenza.
So why are biologists testing birds in Maine?
"We are in surveillance mode right now. We're trying to stay ahead of the curve by sampling before we find dead birds. Early detection is the best way to stop things like this from spreading," said Mike Schummer, a bird group biologist with the Department.
The testing program, coordinated by state agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife services division, has begun throughout the Atlantic flyway -- a corridor for migrating birds which runs along the eastern seaboard of Canada, the United States, and Central and South America.
To date, biologists in Maine have sampled 47 eiders, five black guillemots, 22 arctic terns and resident Canada geese.
Scummer said that occasionally migrating North American birds, including some that summer in Maine, visit the West African coastline -- another area that has seen sporadic outbreaks of "bird flu." The possibility exists -- though remote -- that such species could bring the bird flu west to the United States.
"The types of birds we are testing are those with potential contact with Europe or Africa, birds that mix over the Atlantic Ocean," Schummer said.
One example is the Arctic tern, a tiny sea bird that weighs less than two pounds, measures slightly over a foot in length and makes a 22,000-mile round trip from the Arctic to Antarctic and back each year.
"Their long migration route can include the coast of Africa, which puts them in the vicinity of areas that have had avian influenza events," said Schummer.
Eiders and black guillemots also migrate, often to northern Canada, where the possibility for interchange with birds from Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe exists, Schummer said.
Resident Canada geese are also slated for testing, he said, largely because of their abundance and proximity to humans. Both eider ducks and Canada geese are hunted in Maine.
Brad Allen, game bird biologist for the Department, adds that the risk to hunters is minimal -- almost nonexistent. But like Chronic Wasting Disease in white-tailed deer, or Whirling Disease in rainbow trout, it's always safer to err on the side of caution, he said.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, humans can indeed contract the H5N1 avian influenza from birds -- but in the past it's been largely limited to people "who have been heavily exposed to infected poultry and poultry products."
To date, there is only one recorded instance of a wild bird infecting a human. It occurred in Asia.
"The best way to protect yourself is through good responsible handling of game," Allen said.
He said many of the birds hunters eat, from woodcock to black ducks and eiders, carry parasites, most of which aren't transmissible to humans.
"The chances of the avian influenza occurring in a hunted species is very low," he said.
Schummer adds that most afflicted birds -- poultry or wild -- die very quickly, and thus, are unlikely to transmit it to either other birds or humans.
"No need to be paranoid yet, keep hunting, keep fishing and keep eating game," Schummer said.
For now, Maine hunters should be thankful that the state is at the forefront of testing and one of the first to offer a Web site -- www.maineflu.gov -- to help hunters and others keep abreast of testing.
Source
June 28, 2006 (Kennebec Journal)
By Columnist Dave Sherwood
Don't panic. It's not time to sound the alarm -- or even change your usual habits. But as a hunter, be aware that Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists are now testing ducks, geese and other birds in Maine for avian influenza. The virus, known to scientists as H5N1, is one of a wide range of viruses that afflicts domestic poultry and, very occasionally, wild birds.
The difference between this one and other more benign viruses is its ability to infect humans.
It's hardly an epidemic in the United States. Alaska, the state furthest in distance from Maine (besides Hawaii) is most susceptible, thanks to its proximity to Asia, where the flu originated. The Bering Sea separates the two land masses, and North American birds often migrate to Asia to spend the winter. But even in Alaska, there's yet to be a single confirmed report of Avian Influenza.
So why are biologists testing birds in Maine?
"We are in surveillance mode right now. We're trying to stay ahead of the curve by sampling before we find dead birds. Early detection is the best way to stop things like this from spreading," said Mike Schummer, a bird group biologist with the Department.
The testing program, coordinated by state agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife services division, has begun throughout the Atlantic flyway -- a corridor for migrating birds which runs along the eastern seaboard of Canada, the United States, and Central and South America.
To date, biologists in Maine have sampled 47 eiders, five black guillemots, 22 arctic terns and resident Canada geese.
Scummer said that occasionally migrating North American birds, including some that summer in Maine, visit the West African coastline -- another area that has seen sporadic outbreaks of "bird flu." The possibility exists -- though remote -- that such species could bring the bird flu west to the United States.
"The types of birds we are testing are those with potential contact with Europe or Africa, birds that mix over the Atlantic Ocean," Schummer said.
One example is the Arctic tern, a tiny sea bird that weighs less than two pounds, measures slightly over a foot in length and makes a 22,000-mile round trip from the Arctic to Antarctic and back each year.
"Their long migration route can include the coast of Africa, which puts them in the vicinity of areas that have had avian influenza events," said Schummer.
Eiders and black guillemots also migrate, often to northern Canada, where the possibility for interchange with birds from Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe exists, Schummer said.
Resident Canada geese are also slated for testing, he said, largely because of their abundance and proximity to humans. Both eider ducks and Canada geese are hunted in Maine.
Brad Allen, game bird biologist for the Department, adds that the risk to hunters is minimal -- almost nonexistent. But like Chronic Wasting Disease in white-tailed deer, or Whirling Disease in rainbow trout, it's always safer to err on the side of caution, he said.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, humans can indeed contract the H5N1 avian influenza from birds -- but in the past it's been largely limited to people "who have been heavily exposed to infected poultry and poultry products."
To date, there is only one recorded instance of a wild bird infecting a human. It occurred in Asia.
"The best way to protect yourself is through good responsible handling of game," Allen said.
He said many of the birds hunters eat, from woodcock to black ducks and eiders, carry parasites, most of which aren't transmissible to humans.
"The chances of the avian influenza occurring in a hunted species is very low," he said.
Schummer adds that most afflicted birds -- poultry or wild -- die very quickly, and thus, are unlikely to transmit it to either other birds or humans.
"No need to be paranoid yet, keep hunting, keep fishing and keep eating game," Schummer said.
For now, Maine hunters should be thankful that the state is at the forefront of testing and one of the first to offer a Web site -- www.maineflu.gov -- to help hunters and others keep abreast of testing.
Source