avian bird flu cleaning my ducks!!

[NEEHAMA]

i was cleaning my ducks/geese on the weekend and my three year old was helping me. i was letting him put the wings/feet etc in the garbage bag.
i then started to ponder avian flu odds? would we waterfowlers have any warnings? what are the chances of contracting? would we hear about other cases in northern areas first? should i wear gloves? would this even help?
does anyone know whom i can ask? where can i look for info?

yikes!!

[DieselDog]

Try calling the agriculture research center in Abbotsford, they should be able to answer your questions. Phone 604 556-3001

[Fred]

At this moment and time I would venture the opinion that you have a better chance of getting hit by lightening twice in the next 48 hours! Fred

[pupper]

My doctor said the regular flu that people get each year kills alot of people and we should be more worried of that than the avain hype.

[MoodyBlueBroncoblues]

Even though the last two cases of the avian flu virus were not deadly, should there be concern now that the non-domestic ducks, geese are threatened? Can it spread from the domestic poultry?

[PGKris]

People are panicking over nothing. The "H5" virus, as they're calling it, is always present in a small number of ducks and geese. The one in china is "H5N1" a mutant of the H5 and IS NOT IN NORTH AMERICA. At any given time, a wild duck or goose will have at least 3 flu strains kicking around in its immune system. How many flu shots have you had? Every time you get a flu shot, you get one more strain of flu virus. Like Fred says, struck by lightning twice in the same day

[huntwriter]

Sadly like BSE this too will turn out to be more of a political rope pulling than a real issue.

At the time of the "big" bird flu outbrak in Asia I happen to be in China (for one year) and it was very safe to eat chicken (The Chinese's main diet).

The funny thing is, well not so funny, that the Chinese government and their scientists are hardly to beat when it come to bird flu experience and how to deal with it. China has vaccine stockpiled, even vaccine for what is called the next generation of bird flu virus. True to their belive that no common good should be used to make money with they offered it to the west. Guess what, Bush turned the offer down and anounced that he will get together with American scientists to develop an American vaccine. Of course with vaccine from China he hardly can make political demands onto other nations.

You are very safe to eat your ducks, having said that it is always safe to wear rubber gloves when cleaning ducks and other wild game. Even if game looks healthy you can get an infection of some sort should you have a little cut or nick in the skin on your hands.

[ratherbefishin]

Avian flu has been now classified as an ''STD''-you get it from abroad....

[KVF650]

Guys, you have nothing to worry about. I have a local poultry farm and am in contact with the CFIA on a regular basis. As long as the meat is properly cooked, there is almost no possible way of contracting this influenza from wild or domestic birds.

-KVF650-