Waterfowl return to Alaska test area

AlaskaDenise · Apr 28, 2006

this is an excerpt from a local paper in Bethel - in the center of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta - migratory bird heaven.
http://www.deltadiscovery.com/soapbox/soapbox.html

4/25/06
by Greg Lincoln

Returning waterfowl have been sighted in certain areas of our great YK delta region – and more and more will be coming as spring progresses. Last week we got a report from a wise and knowledgeable elder that swans were sighted from his village. We welcome the return of the birds as it is a sure sign of the seasons change. With the arrival of the birds comes the promise of hot and rich soups and fresh eggs. King Eiders qengallget, should be almost home soon for ocean hunters. There is also Avian Influenza to be aware of – please be careful. Piurci!

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a prior article by the same author:

Wild birds priority list

3/28/06
by Greg Lincoln
During last week’s Bird Flu presentation at the Cultural Center with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, AK Dept. of Fish & Game, and others, a list of birds was announced that would be tested for the H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza. Subsistence hunters will be an important link between the migratory birds and the rest of the world in that they will be the ones bringing in the birds to be tested. In this issue you can read about the recommendations from the meeting - quyana cakneq Shane for doing a great job! Some of the birds on the list are subsistence birds, and many all of the eggs of these birds are also harvested for food.

Wild birds priority list

Steller’s Eider Dunlin

Northern Pintail

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Lesser Snow Goose

Bar-tailed Godwit

Emperor Goose

Ruddy Turnstone

Black Brant

Pectoral Sandpiper

Spectacled Eider

Red Knot

Aleutian Goose

Long-billed dowitcher

Long-tailed Duck

Rock Sandpiper

Tundra Swan

Pacific Golden Plover

Common Eider

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

King Eider

Arctic Warbler

Lesser Sandhill Crane

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Glaucous Gull

Have a great week! Tua-i-ngunrituq!

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The above list is for the Bethel area - there are some species (like Northern Wheatear) that are on the list, but not named here.

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achoo · Apr 30, 2006

Re: Waterfowl return to Alaska test area

The Anchorage Daily News posts some pretty good reading also. You have to register but is free.

This is appeared recently

http://www.adn.com/life/health/birdflu/story/7663207p-7573726c.html
Where to get help

Published: April 25, 2006
Last Modified: April 25, 2006 at 01:49 AM 



Human illness

Call 1-888-972-6358
Visit these Web sites:
Alaska Division of Public Health -- www. epi.alaska.gov/id/influenza/fluinfo.htm: Here you will find the state's comprehensive pandemic flu plan. Includes information about community health strategies like "social distancing" and about Tamiflu, the antiviral drug that may be helpful during a pandemic.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm: Here you will find a lengthy Q-and-A on all aspects of H5N1 and how it spreads. A nice feature: This site's updates show the date in red, so you know if the material is fresh.
World Health Organization -- www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en: This site contains updates on H5N1 in other countries and current worldwide counts of human cases and deaths from H5N1.

Sick or dead birds

Call 1-866-527-3358
Visit these Web sites:
Alaska Fish and Game -- www.avianflu.alaska. gov/hunting/default.htm: This site has advice for sport and subsistence hunters and people worried about handling and cooking poultry.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- alaska.fws. gov/media/avian_influenza: This federal site includes links that focus on hunting and subsistence as well as a link to the national Homeland Security site for the national pandemic flu strategy.
More Web sites
The federal government's official site -- www. pandemicflu.gov: This site defines how bird, seasonal and pandemic flu are different and offers a link to a map of confirmed cases of H5N1 as well as checklists for families to follow when preparing for a pandemic.
Alaska's Web page -- www.pandemicflu. alaska.gov: The state's pandemic flu plan also appears here, with weekly updates and handouts for businesses and individuals who want to prepare.
The U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center -- alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza: This new site includes a list of birds that are high-priority for sampling of H5N1 this summer, a map showing seasonal movements of Emperor geese between North America and Asia and a visual model of the virus itself. Ongoing research will be noted and updated here.

Their related tab is interesting also.

Who will be in charge in a pandemic?

By ANN POTEMPA
Anchorage Daily News
Published: April 25, 2006
Last Modified: April 25, 2006 at 01:49 AM 


If a flu pandemic strikes Alaska, who will take charge? The state has published a pandemic flu plan to answer that question.

The full plan can be found at www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov/panfluplan.pdf. Here are a few highlights:

AT THE TOP

Alaska's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management would coordinate all the agencies working together during a pandemic flu.
The likely incident commander would be state public health director Richard Mandsager, said Jamie Littrell, spokesman for the homeland security division.
The State Emergency Coordination Center at the National Guard Armory of Fort Richardson also would open, and representatives from all the state and local agencies would meet there to coordinate their efforts, said Littrell.

IF ALASKA BIRDS ARE INFECTED

If it's a domestic bird, the state Department of Environmental Conservation will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said state veterinarian Bob Gerlach. Gerlach said he'd likely coordinate the response here.
If wild birds are ill, the main agencies are the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Fish and Wildlife Service would likely be the lead agency, said Tom Rothe, waterfowl coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

IF PEOPLE ARE INFECTED

The state Department of Health and Social Services will take the lead. Specifically, the state Division of Public Health and its top directors would control several functions.
The state's public health director -- now Mandsager -- will decide when to activate the state's pandemic plans.
The state's chief epidemiologist -- now Dr. Jay Butler -- will decide when and how to add surveillance for human illness.

TASKS FOR STATE DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH

• Update reports about flu activity in Alaska on the state's Section of Epidemiology Web site, www.epi.hss.state.ak.us.
• Buy and maintain a stockpile of antiviral medications.
• Decide when to start social distancing, a program that encourages people to isolate themselves from others to prevent spreading the flu.
• Work with school and college officials about closing educational buildings.
• Decide what public gathering places to close.
• If necessary, quarantine those who are sick or exposed to sick people.
• When a pandemic vaccine becomes available, give the shots according to a priority list.
• During a pandemic, distribute the antiviral stockpile according to priorities. State health officials are asking legislators for enough funding for 20,000 to 25,000 courses of antiviral drugs. Priority will be given to people at high risk for flu-related complications, as well as health care providers and first-responders.
Sources: Alaska Division of Public Health draft pandemic influenza response plan; Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation; Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Edited for idiocy: Smacking forehead, I did not realize I was posting in the Alaska Forum, I'm sure you all already knew this.

Waterfowl return to Alaska test area

AlaskaDenise

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