BIRD FLU

Well, what are the real chances of it affecting you or your pet birds?
The answer is practically none.

There are many facts involved in this answer:

1. It is chiefly a waterfowl and poultry disease.
2. There is no cases in the USA in poultry or otherwise
3. Strict quarantine laws greatly hinder the possibility of an outbreak occurring (30 day quarantine)
4. There is not a case of human to human transfer yet .
5. The H5N1 strain is the only strain to affect humans.
6. Influenza viruses do not persist in environments outside the hosts for long period of time (ideal condition about a week)

Now, I'm not going to tell you that it will never happen. In medicine and viruses there is no absolute. But, there are so many factors against it that the possibility is a thousand times less than being stuck by lightning. Let's examine this in more detail. This is mainly a Chinese strain that is effecting humans since 1997. It has not yet passed on from human to human but with those people working with fowl, swimming in infected rivers, playing in an area where carcasses were buried, or breathing air near a poultry processing plant, can lead to infection. Unfortunately, Asian environments often involve people living in close quarters with poultry even running into houses. It is not uncommon also for the oriental diet to include raw duck livers and other unprocessed poultry products.

Bird flu has been around for more than a century and this is the only known strain to have mutated to affect humans. Studies show that with viruses like this that it is far more likely, like SARS, that if this does develop further, a person were more likely to contract this disease from an infected international traveller than from a pet or wild bird. It is also unlikely that migratory birds will carry it east to west since migration is primarily north to south.

Legal pet bird trade is safe. Quanantine periods and local breeding has further helped stop many illnesses from being past around. It is admitted that Illegal pet trade is an X factor but strict laws have reduced considerably the illegal trade, with most of the trade coming from South America to North America instead of Asia.

Remember, unless it is an exotic large pet bird, it is more economically feasible to breed them locally. Even large birds are being breed here. Also the chance of them getting in contact with a infected fowl is slim. And the chance of your indoor pet bird drops off the map. So would I be afraid to buy that companion pet bird from your local pet store. I'd have to answer No, there just no evidence so far to warrant any cautionary measures.