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Original poster

Bird flu...

12 replies

kuoni · 14/10/2005 11:34

Ok - we eat a lot of chicken and regularly hand feed ducks etc at nearby farm and village pond. Starting to hear more and read more. Getting rather nervous now it has spread to Turkey and outskirts of Europe..How worried should I be ?
Anyone out there feel the same and anyone changing their behaviour (ie visiting/feeding wild bird and stop eating poultry) as a safety precaution. Would just like an indicator of mumsnetters to see if I am being paranoid/overly cautious or just sensible considering these options?
All opinions gratefully read and considered

OP posts:
Enid · 14/10/2005 11:37

certainly not changing behaviour yet. PLEASE dont stop eating poultry - poor farmers have suffered enough.

it hasnt mutated enough to spread easily to humans. According to a virology expert on the radio this morning, the likliehood is that it will mutate into a much less dangerous strain but become catchable by humans.

expatinscotland · 14/10/2005 11:40

No. As of now, it's restricted to the bird population. Those humans who did contract it had a lot of intense contact w/poultry - they were living in the same room w/them, drinking raw duck's blood, etc.

We have never fed wild birds, b/c it interferes with their natural instincts and abilities to get food on their own. Watch them, yes, and will continue to do so, but don't like to feed them b/c don't want them to become dependent on humans for food.

We don't each much poultry b/c we chose to eat organic, free-range meats and poultry raised in this way seems to be the most expensive.

JonesTheScream · 14/10/2005 11:42

Agree with you Enid - my BIL is a farmer and has had a really tough couple of years - no harm in eating poultry as long as you know country of origin.

This bird flu does make me nervous if I think about it - but TBH am just trying not to think of it - and am certainly not going to change my behaviour because of a 'what if' scenario - time enough to worry when scenario becomes a reality as far as I'm concerned.

Pinotmum · 14/10/2005 11:46

My ds (3 yo) saw a bird feather on the grass yesterday and said to me "don't touch it you'll get bird flu!" I feel perhaps Granny has over-reacted during visit to Park the other day

expatinscotland · 14/10/2005 11:47

Exactly, Enid!

Farmers are doing the best they can to protect their livestock. They're also doing the right thing by alerting health authorities if they suspect their animals may be infected or have come into contact with infected birds.

They need our support in this so they keep the lines of communication open!

Outbreaks have been successfully contained in Japan and Korea, so there is no reason to panic.

Original poster
kuoni · 14/10/2005 11:57

I read today that bird flu is passed bt. birds from infected bird?s saliva and bird dropping that have dried (spores??). Presume feathers are ok. pinotmum - your ds?s granny sounds like my mum exactly the sort of thing she would say to my children.
I do agree about not changing behaviour just because of a what if - but don?t want to leave it until it is "too late" and they announce that they have found it in this country and probably been with us undectected for several weeks etc. - maybe I am being silly. Just can?t get out of my head the fact that they were so slow spotting the dangers in other things in the past - like the red food colouring one that went undetected for months and months. As a family we must have had numerous meals that contained that one and made me feel very guilty.
I guess no one likes running risks and I find it frustrating not being able to assess the risk, even if gut instinct is that it is very very small/virtually non existent right now, as I do not trust the authorities to pick it up and make the risk public fast enough. Politics and worry about the economy/pointing the finger/public panic etc seem to slow things down when it comes to making the public aware of major risks. If I trusted them to deal with it fast and accurately I would wait until/if it was diagnosed fully.
I know it sounds awful, but if it is diagnosed much closer to us, such as reacing Germany or France, then I will stop eating poultry and am sorry if it affects the farmers but my children?s health will come before their pockets sorry any poulty farmers out there.

OP posts:
Original poster
kuoni · 14/10/2005 11:59

So.. I guess I am doing nothing now but monitoring it all very very closely..Will try not to panic

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 14/10/2005 12:24

I don't plan to alter any plans to eat poultry. It's not a food-born virus; that's all there is to it.

My sister keeps 3 hens in her back yard. They're fed organicially and roam her 1.5 acres freely during the day. At night they're housed in a small barn along w/the family's pet rabbits and guinea pigs, as there are coyotes in her area. Her plans are to allow them to continue to roam when someone is present in the yard - it's a warm climate so they spend a lot of time outside, gardening and whatnot - in order to avoid their coming into contact with wild birds. The hens also have a wire chicken run outside in which they can move about safe from attack.

Zephyrrywitchescat · 14/10/2005 12:41

Has just said on the news that they think it may kill 50 million worldwide and around 50,000 in the uk!

Bugger - there was another part to it but pg brain has taken over and I've gone blank !!!

Enid · 14/10/2005 12:42

remember SARS?

necrotising facilyitus (or whatever it was called)?

expatinscotland · 14/10/2005 12:47

Absolutely, Enid.

Enid · 21/10/2005 13:02

7 year old gets bird flu but is apparently now fine

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