November is the month that folks get their annual shot in the arm to prevent flu. There is still confusion concerning what that vaccination accomplishes? While it does help protect us from influenza it doesn’t protect us from Avian Influenza, but that is OK.

Let me explain.

Avian Influenza ( Bird Flu) is a respiratory virus that affects poultry, ducks, geese and wildfowl in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Julie Helm, DVM, of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health reports “ currently, the Asian avian influenza strain (H5N1) is NOT in the U.S.’’ The first verifiable outbreak occurred in southeast Asia, 1997.

This virus does not spontaneously erupt in a host animal, it must be transferred from an infected bird to another by respiratory secretions or eating infecting excrement. There are many strains of avian influenza and the only one that potentially can affect people is the High-Path H5N1 strain.

A High-Path strain produces more severe symptoms in poultry, including mortality. A Low-Path strain causes respiratory ailments and low egg production in poultry.

The means that it could enter this continent are: smuggled infected birds, wild migratory birds or infected humans. All, of which are unlikely, because smuggled birds are difficult to pass through customs inspections, infected migratory birds would probably not survive the flight from Asia to Alaska, closest landfall, coupled with the migratory patterns of ducks and geese are North to South or vice a versa not east to west, and finally there are minuscule amounts of Asian people infected, and they probably wouldn’t feel like traveling if they were infected.

The Asian cultures are dramatically more subject to contracting the disease not because of their ethnicity but because they literally live with their flocks. On a daily basis they shepherd, handle and just plain move about the flock constantly interacting with the birds. Since they are dependent on the birds for their main source of animal protein it is critical that they maintain this almost sacred relationship with their ducks, geese and chickens.

American flock managers do not nurture the birds in the same intimate manner;consequently the less man to animal contact the less opportunity to spread a possible disease.

There are wildlife scientists on location in strategic points in Alaska that are monitoring wildfowl entering via Russia from Asia. Even if the Asian Influenza strain gets into our migratory fowl it would still have to enter our commercial poultry flocks through physical contact or by contaminating equipment that would get into a poultry barn. Commercial flocks are housed in long barns that keep them protected from predators, diseases and extreme weather conditions. American biosecurity measures prevent disease transfer.

Continued monitoring, surveillance, testing and limited access/exposure at all levels of poultry production and movement insure the prevention of an outbreak.

In conclusion, presently, there is NO reasonable risk of you contracting Avian Influenza, even if you raise chickens, because it isn’t here. There is NO danger of getting Bird Flu from properly cooked poultry meat and eggs, because its not here and it is not transferred through cooked poultry products. And I just as well should mention that there is NO vaccination to prevent contracting Avian Influenza, for the same reason that people don’t purchase flood insurance in Las Vegas. Call me if you have any further questions, 635-4722, extension 116.